The Cavs of Carson High
by TheNewRepublic
Summary: "Love is too much of a rare thing to waste, especially if the kind of love you have is such a taboo among the world. Taffyta knew Vanellope wasn't perfect. She couldn't expect her to be. But she was that special kind of "imperfect" that made Taffyta unable not to love her." Love is a powerful thing. Respect it.
1. Chapter 1

Vanellope walked through the halls of Carson High School, backpack on and earbuds in, listening to "Stay" by Florida Georgia Line. Her, along with everybody else, were just released for activity period, a twenty minute period to study or go to the gym, or, Vanellope's case, hang out with her friends.

She reached the back door of the school building and walked outside into the mild air of Kansas City, Missouri, spotting fellow freshmen Minty Zaki and Citrusella Flugpucker sitting at their usual table, both playing on their phones.

Vanellope took out her earphones and sat down next to Minty. She looked at her phone. "Super Charged 2. I haven't gotten that game yet."

"It's pretty awesome." Minty commented, concentrating on her game. "Aw, dang it!"

"Ha! Beat you!" Citrusella said victoriously, winning the fourth straight race between them.

"Only because you used a Nitro right when I was about to win!" Minty protested.

"Sure, sure." Citrusella waved her hand. "Hey, Vanellope."

Vanellope nodded. "Hey. You guys going to the football game?"

"Yep." They both said. "Who's it against?" Minty asked.

"Northridge." She told them.

"Oo, I hope we crush them." Minty said. "Like the Chiefs crushed the Titans last night! We won 40-20!"

"Awesome!" Vanellope said. Minty was an avid football fan, judging by her Alex Smith jersey. All three of them were football fans, just not as much as Minty.

The Carson Cavaliers would be playing the Northridge Lions at seven that night. They were big cross-town rivals, and the games were always sold out.

"So how's your day been?" Citrusella asked Vanellope.

"Eh, so-so." She waved her hand in a corresponding gesture.

"How so?"

"Well, in PE, we played flag football, but Angela Jamison insisted on tackling me. Multiple times."

"Mm." They both nodded. Angela Jamison could get a little excited in PE.

Just then, Vanellope heard a noise. Over on the tennis courts, she saw Taffyta Muttonfudge wearing a white tank top and pink bootie shorts, tennis racket in hand. She tossed the ball up and gracefully served it across the court to Candela Crawford, AKA Candlehead, who returned the ball. Taffyta's hair waved around in the slight breeze, and Vanellope was hypnotized.

"Hey. Vanellope."

Vanellope was snapped out of her trance. "Huh?"

"Will you need a ride to the game? My sister can take us." Citrusella asked.

"Uh, yeah, I could use a ride." She nodded.

Just then, the bell rang, giving them eight minutes to return to class. The three picked up their backpacks as Citrusella and Minty went inside, but Vanellope took a little longer to watch Taffyta, who was putting her racket in a bag. When she zipped it up, she looked up at Vanellope. Vanellope panicked and hurried inside. When she turned to look out the door, Taffyta had turned and walked towards the locker room.

Vanellope sighed and headed to class.

* * *

Later that day, after school, Vanellope lied in her bed, doodling in a journal. She wasn't drawing anything in particular, just whatever came to her mind. There was a certain section near the back, though, reserved for drawings of Taffyta Muttonfudge. She had tens of little drawings of Taffyta with different expressions, outfits, and postures. Vanellope sighed at the pictures. She was a very good artist, and the drawings were very realistic.

Vanellope drew a small heart over one of the drawings before she heard a knock on her door. She quickly put her journal in her nightstand drawer and pulled out her phone. "Come in."

In stepped Ralph, Vanellope's father by adoption. He was a large, muscular man who barely fit through the doorframe. He had adopted Vanellope a year before, and Vanellope loved him for it, but still felt she'd be embarrassed of him somehow. "Hey." He greeted.

"Hey." Vanellope said back.

"You going to the game tonight?"

"Yeah. Citrusella's sister Jubileena is taking me and my friends."

"Okay."

Just then, Vanellope got a text from Citrusella. "We're here."

Vanellope got up. "They're here." She told Ralph.

"Alright. Have fun." He left. Vanellope then changed into a Carson Cavaliers T-shirt with her jeans and headed out. Jubileena's Chevrolet Comaro was outside. She climbed in the backside, sitting next to Minty, Citrusella riding shotgun.

"Hey there, kid." Jubileena, a seventeen-year-old junior, greeted.

"Hi." Vanellope waved.

Jubileena then began to drive them to Cavs Field, an artificial turf field with a big green and black C with two swords at midfield, stands on both sides, and a big scoreboard and video screen with "CHS" on it. Jubileena dropped them off near the gate. "Have fun, guys."

"See ya, sis." Citrusella said.

She waved and drove off. The three went to the gate and showed the ticket clerk their student sports passes, which got them into every game of every sport for free. They then went to the student section, where there were already plenty of kids. They found their seats and watched the team warmup on the field. The Cavaliers were in green and black. Their quarterback was number 3 Rancis FluggerButter, who was sort of a heartthrob among the school, but Vanellope didn't really know why. The guy was obnoxious. But as far as ability, he was a pretty good quarterback.

"Look. It's Swizz!" Minty exclaimed. She spotted Swizzle Melarky's number 11 jersey. The wide receiver was running routes. Minty had made her crush on the boy apparent to her friends. She was just reluctant to ask to hang out with him.

That's when Vanellope noticed. Taffyta was on the field. She was to the right of the coach, writing something on a clipboard. Vanellope didn't know Taffyta was a manager for the team, but what she did know was that she would have major trouble paying attention to the game; Taffyta would be a constant distraction.

That's when the team headed to locker room. Taffyta was still on the sideline organizing water bottles and checking other things. That's when the announcer's voice came on. "Cavs fans, welcome to Cavs field for this Conference 5A contest between district rivals the Northridge Lions and the Carson Cavaliers!"

The fans cheered. "Now, let's meet the Lions' starting lineup." The announcer then began to read of the Northridge starters.

Citrusella tapped Vanellope's shoulder. "I'm going to the concession stand. You want something?"

"Dr. Pepper?" She asked.

"Sure." Citrusella said.

"Sprite for me, please." Minty asked.

"'Kay." She then hiked up the stairs to the concession at the top.

Vanellope looked back down at the field, watching Taffyta, who pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Vanellope sighed at the sight of the beautiful girl.

Just then, the band started playing the school fight song as the Cavaliers team ran onto the field. The Northridge team ran out to the sound of their own band on the other side of the stadium.

"Swizzle!" Minty yelled and waved. Number 11 looked up and waved. Minty giggled. "He waved at me!" She said excitedly to Vanellope.

Vanellope smiled humorously at Minty. That's when Citrusella returned carrying two Dr. Peppers and a Sprite. She handed one Dr. Pepper to Vanellope and the Sprite to Minty.

"Thanks, Citrus." They both said.

"No prob." She said, twisting open her drink. The teams on the field lined up for kickoff. The Cavaliers would receive the kick. The fans cheered louder and louder until the ball was kicked, and once a Cavalier caught the ball, the fans yelled "CHARGE!" for tradition sake. The return man ran the ball until being tackled at the twenty-five yard line.

Down on the sideline, Taffyta wrote down the play on her clipboard. That's when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Sweetness. This touchdown's for you." It was Rancis Fluggerbutter.

"Whatever." Taffyta said, annoyed. Rancis ran onto the field. Taffyta knew she was pretty, but found Rancis to be very annoying.

The first play, Rancis snapped the ball and faked the handoff to the running back. He then threw the ball deep down field, in the direction of Swizzle Malarky. The crowd murmured in anticipation until Swizzle leaped up and caught the pass miraculously. The crowd erupted in cheers as Swizzle was pushed out of bound at the seventeen yard line.

"Yay, Swizzle!" Minty exclaimed. Citrusella and Vanellope elbowed her and smiled, making Minty blush.

Back on the field, Rancis took the snap and handed it off to the running back. Just before he crossed the line of scrimmage, he stepped back and threw a pass, much to the confusion of the defense. The pass floated safely into the hands of Rancis, who had run down field.

"Touchdown Cavs!" The announcer exclaimed as Rancis crossed the goal line. The crowd roared as six points were added onto the scoreboard.

Rancis came over to the bench and sat down as the extra point was made. Rancis got plenty of pats on the helmet for his catch. Taffyta came over and handed him a water bottle. "Nice catch."

"Thanks, sweetheart." He said, taking off his helmet. "So, how's about you and me go out for ice cream after the game?"

"Shouldn't an athlete like you eat something healthier than ice cream?" Taffyta asked.

"Fro-yo. How 'bout fro-yo?" He offered.

"Listen to me. I promise there are plenty of other girls who are a lot more interested in you than me." She began to walk off.

"Oh, so is that a no?" Rancis asked.

Taffyta turned around. "You know what? It kinda is." She turned back and continued walking.

"But…." He stood, in utter shock. "But I'm a quarterback!"

Meanwhile, the Lions were able to drive down the field and score a field goal, making the score 7-3. After the kickoff, the offense took back to the field.

After a couple of plays, Taffyta noticed something. The safeties were playing towards the sidelines. They were expecting a pass. Taffyta ran to the coach. "Coach!"

Coach Jake Collins looked down at her. "What?"

"The safeties are covering the sidelines. They're expecting a pass. If we ran a quarterback draw, the middle of the field would be wide open."

Coach looked out onto the field. Sure enough, the safeties were moving to the sides. The coach's eyes widened. "Time out!" He called. The referee blew his whistle.

The team came over and huddled up. The coach told them to run a quarterback draw. He sent them back onto the field, and the Northridge safeties were still leaving the middle wide open.

Rancis took the snap and dropped back. After a few moments, he began running right up the middle, nothing but grass in front of him. The Lions were able to tackle him, but not before gaining twenty yards.

"Good call, kid." Coach told Taffyta. "Maybe you should be a coach."

"Eh…." Taffyta shrugged.

The game went on. That drive resulted in a touchdown that put the Cavs up 14-3, and no one scored again for the rest of the half. The halftime buzzer sounded, and the teams headed to the locker rooms.

"Let's go toss around a football." Minty said.

"Sure." Vanellope and Citrusella agreed. They walked down the steps and onto the field, as did a few other kids. Vanellope went over to grab a ball, but when she reached down, she touched a hand. She looked up, and she saw Taffyta, picking up the ball. "Oops, sorry." She said.

Vanellope shook her head and hoped she wasn't blushing too badly. "No, it's fine."

"Here." Taffyta handed her the ball.

"Thanks." Vanellope said. She threw the ball to Minty, who threw it to Citrusella, who threw it back to Vanellope.

"Hey." Taffyta said.

"Huh?" Vanellope asked.

"Do you think I could throw one?"

Vanellope handed her the ball. "Sure."

"Thanks." She said and gripped the ball correctly, fingertips on the laces, and threw a perfect spiral to Minty.

"Wow, nice throw." Vanellope complemented.

"Thanks. I've practiced a lot with my dad. He's in the NFL."

"Your dad's in the NFL?" Vanellope asked, amazed.

"Yeah. He's a backup safety for the Falcons. Whenever he's home, he plays football with me."

"Wow. That's amazing." Vanellope said.

"Yeah." Taffyta nodded. Just then, the buzzer sounded, indicating the second half was about to begin.

"Spectators, please vacate the field for the second half." The announcer said.

"I guess we're going." Vanellope said as Citrusella and Minty came over.

"No, wait." Taffyta said. "Y'all can stay."

"We can?" Minty asked.

"Sure. You guys seem nice." She led them to a bench. "You can sit here."

"Thanks." They said. They sat down as the teams ran back onto the field. The second half kickoff began the third quarter, but Vanellope spent most of her time watching Taffyta walk around, handing out water bottles to the players or simply watching the game.

Suddenly, Minty elbowed Vanellope. "Swizz is coming this way!" She whispered excitedly.

Vanellope snapped out of her trance and looked to see Swizzle coming over. He sat down next to Minty. "What are you doing here?" He asked, smiling.

"Watching you play." Minty said. "I mean watching you guys play!" She corrected. "You're a really good player, though."

Swizzle chuckled. "Well thanks. Listen. Maybe after the game, you and me could go to Sonic, get some milkshakes. That sound fun?"

"Does that sound fun?!" Minty exclaimed, but then cleared her throat. "I mean sure. I'd love to."

"Cool. Meet you at the front entrance after the game." He said, getting back up off the bench, putting his helmet back on.

Minty turned to her two friends with utter shock on her face. "Did he just…?"

They nodded.

"And I…?"

They nodded again.

Minty smiled widely. "Holy Sour Punch, I can't believe he asked me out!"

The other two laughed at her freak out. Minty always seemed to get excited every chance she got.

The football game continued without much action. Northridge managed a field goal, but the third quarter ended with the score at 14-6. Then the forth quarter started, and about four minutes in, the Cavaliers scored another touchdown after their running back ran for a thirty yard score. After a three-and-out on defense, the Cavs held the ball until the end if the game, winning 21-6.

Everyone stood for the school song after they were finished celebrating the victory.

"Carson High, we honor you,

in our hearts, always true.

Cavaliers, stand with pride,

on and on, side by side.

Strong tradition

is our mission.

Love and pride,

nationwide.

Proudly sing as the years go by,

we're the Cavs of CARSON HIGH!"

The crowd cheered, and thusly, the football game was officially over.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••


	2. Chapter 2

Minty got up off the bench. "Well, off to meet Swizz." She said happily. "Bye, guys."

Vanellope and Citrusella waved goodbye.

"Jubi's probably waiting for me." Citrusella said. "Bye, Vanellope."

"See ya." Vanellope said back.

"Do you need a ride?" Citrusella asked.

Vanellope looked towards Taffyta, who was just returning from storing away equipment at the storage building. She looked back at Citrusella. "I'm fine."

"Okay. Bye." She walked towards the exit.

"Bye." Vanellope said. She sighed and stood up. Taffyta was close now. She fought her nervousness and walked up to her. "Hey."

"Hey." Taffyta said back. "Where'd your friends go?"

"They left to go home." Vanellope told her, knowing well that her cheeks were probably red as apples.

"Oh. I was thinking maybe I could go get something to eat with you guys."

Vanellope got an idea. "Well, you and I could go eat. There's a DQ right down the street from here."

Taffyta scratched her head. "Sure, I guess. We could get Blizzards."

"Awesome!" Vanellope said a little too enthusiastically. They made their way to the exit. After leaving the stadium, they began towards the Dairy Queen.

"So where did you move here from?" Vanellope asked.

"Topeka, Kansas. I lived there for two years, and before that, I lived in Oklahoma City, my hometown. My mom got a job transfer from Oklahoma to Topeka, and then she got another transfer here."

"What does your mom do?" Vanellope asked. They were a third of the way to the restaurant.

"She's a physics engineer." Taffyta answered.

"So your dad's a pro football player and your mom's an engineer. Must be a pretty rich family."

Taffyta shrugged. "I guess so. We have a nice house. Two stories, four bedrooms, three bathrooms. My mom drives a BMW. So yeah, pretty rich. But not filthy rich."

"Yeah. You don't seem that snobby." Vanellope chuckled.

"Yeah. I have good parents. You know, when they're home." She looked down, holding her elbow. "What do your parents do?"

"My dad works on a demolition crew. It may not be as prestigious as NFL player, but it supports everything comfortably."

"What about your mom?"

Vanellope paused for a moment. "I don't have a mom."

"Oh." Taffyta's gut twisted in guilt. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's not like that. I'm adopted. My dad isn't married. I don't have a mom." She paused again. "Well, I did, I just don't know anything about her."

"Oh." Taffyta felt guilty again for perhaps making Vanellope depressed.

Vanellope shrugged. "But what's the use wondering? I have the best dad I could ask for, so there's no need to want to change anything." She smiled.

Taffyta smiled back. She was glad Vanellope had cheered up.

They reached the Dairy Queen. They entered and ordered. Taffyta got a strawberry Blizzard while Vanellope got a Mint Oreo Blizzard. They got their treats and sat down at a table.

"So….what kind of activities do you do in school?" Taffyta asked.

Vanellope took a bite of ice cream. "I'm in a drawing class. I'm really good with paper and a pencil."

"Oh. Could you draw me?" Taffyta asked jokingly, chuckling.

Vanellope felt a lump in her throat. Yes, she could draw her. Multiple times, actually. Vanellope cleared her mind and asked Taffyta the same question. "What do you do in school?"

"Well, I play tennis, of course."

"Are you pretty good at it?" Vanellope asked.

"Pretty good, yes. I was district champion last year in Topeka."

"Oh, cool." Vanellope said.

Taffyta smiled. "So what kind of music do you listen to?"

"Well, it varies. I like rock, country, metal, things like that."

"Me too. I love Florida Georgia Line." Taffyta said.

"They're awesome." Vanellope agreed.

They were just about finished with their ice cream. Once they finished, they threw away their trash. They left the restaurant.

"Now what?" Taffyta asked.

"Do you have a ride?" Vanellope asked.

"My mom's probably working late downtown."

"Well, walk home with me. Maybe my dad can give you a ride."

"Thanks." Taffyta said as they began towards Vanellope's house, which was about a two mile walk.

They entered the suburban area as Vanellope asked "So what was the school in Topeka like?"

"It was….okay, I guess. Like I said, I only went there two years, but it was a little tough making friends."

"Really?" Tough making friends? Who wouldn't want to be Taffyta's friend? "How was it tough?"

"Because…." She trailed off. She let out a sigh. She felt Vanellope was trustworthy enough to tell her a secret. She hoped she could trust her. "Can you keep a secret?"

Vanellope was taken slightly off guard. A secret? "Uh, sure."

"Promise to keep it?" Taffyta asked.

"Promise." Vanellope assured her.

Taffyta sighed. "The reason it was tough was because….there was this girl at the school that I liked."

Vanellope's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah. So about a month into my first year there, I tried my luck and asked that girl out. Well, she not only said no, but she and her friends teased me and made fun of me for liking girls. No one wanted to hang out with me because I was always being made fun of."

Vanellope tried to keep herself from hugging Taffyta right then and there. She felt so sorry for her. "That sounds horrible. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. At least you're my friend, right?" She smiled at Vanellope, and what a smile it was.

"Yeah, of course!" Vanellope nodded, but then she sighed. She felt obligated to tell Taffyta her secret since Taffyta told hers. "Taffyta, I have a secret, too."

She looked at her curiously. Vanellope closed her eyes and sighed. "I like girls, too."

Taffyta's eyes widened. "You do?"

Vanellope nodded.

Taffyta took a moment to let that sink in, then she smiled. "So I'm not alone."

Vanellope smiled back. "Nope."

Taffyta giggled. They continued walking. Vanellope's house was about half a mile away. "Vanellope."

"Hm?"

Taffyta bit her lip. "Do you think I could….hold your hand?"

Vanellope nearly lost consciousness. "Say again?"

"Can I hold your hand?"

Vanellope didn't know why, but instead of saying "YES!" she asked "Why?"

"Because.…" Taffyta rubbed her elbow timidly. "Because I've never felt what I feels like to hold a girls hand, so I want to hold yours."

That was the sweetest thing Vanellope had ever heard. She held out her hand. "Sure."

Taffyta smiled. She took Vanellope's hand in her own, and Vanellope had never felt happier.

They reached Vanellope's house a few minutes later. Ralph's work truck was parked in the driveway.

"Vanellope." Taffyta said.

"Huh?"

"Instead of going home, do you think I could….spend the night here?"

Vanellope nearly combusted, but she managed to say. "Sure." She led her to the front door. She pulled a key out from behind a loose brick in the wall and opened the door. They walked in. It was a good house, nice and clean. Vanellope saw Ralph sitting on the couch, watching a college basketball game. He saw them come in. "Welcome home, kid. A little late." He got up and stood in front of the two. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Taffyta." Vanellope said. "Is it okay if she stays the night?"

Ralph bit the inside of his lip. He looked Taffyta over, who had a hopeful look on her face. Ralph shrugged, figuring she was a nice girl. "Sure."

"Yes!" Vanellope exclaimed. She turned to Taffyta. "My bedroom is the second to last door on the right down the hall." She told her. Taffyta nodded and went to her room.

Ralph looked at Vanellope. "She a nice girl?"

"Very." Vanellope nodded. "Thanks for letting her stay."

"No prob. I'll just have to find that sleeping bag."

"Sleeping bag? Wait, why does she need a sleeping bag?"

Ralph raised an eyebrow. "To sleep." He answered her.

"Well, why can't she sleep in my bed?" Vanellope asked.

Ralph sighed. "I barely know this girl. I don't want something to happen."

"Ralph, don't be ridiculous. We can trust her. Besides…." She leaned in and whispered. "I kinda like her, and I think she likes me a little. I don't want to lose a chance with her."

Ralph sighed and shook his head. "Vanellope…."

"Ralph, she's a really sweet girl. Okay? I just want to spend some close time with her so maybe we can have something special. I promise nothing will happen, okay?"

Ralph sighed, but she had a point. All Ralph wanted was for Vanellope to be happy, and he knew it would be a rare chance for her to find a girl that liked her back. He couldn't disappoint her. "Okay, Vanellope. But just sleep. No-"

"Yes, I get it."

"And stay separated."

"But Ralph." She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. "I wanna cuddle her." She said in a small voice.

Ralph's heart nearly melted. Those puppy dog eyes were the ones that moved him into adopting Vanellope. "Oh, okay."

"Thank you." She smiled. She went up to him and kissed his cheek. She then went to her room.

When she got there, Taffyta had already changed into a set of Vanellope's PJs: a solid red tank top and Kansas Jayhawks pants. "I hope you don't mind. I'm a Jayhawks fan." She said.

Vanellope stared for a moment, but she snapped herself out of her amazement. "No prob." She went into the closet and closed the door behind her to change. She changed into her usual PJs: a long grey Matalica shirt that made it down to her thighs, along with a pair of blue shorts. She stepped out of the closet, and Taffyta laughed. "Matalica!" She exclaimed, playing air guitar. Vanellope laughed at her. Oh, she was perfect.

Vanellope went over to turn out the light as Taffyta lied down. When the lights went out, Taffyta said "Uh, do you think you could close the closet but leave the closet light on? I don't like the dark."

Vanellope did what Taffyta had said. "There?"

"Thanks." Taffyta told her as Vanellope got into bed beside Taffyta. Soon, Vanellope closed her eyes to go to sleep, but was shocked awake when Taffyta kissed her cheek. "Thanks for being so nice." She told her. She lied he head on her shoulder. Vanellope smiled and put her arm around Taffyta. "No problem."

"Good night." Taffyta said, closing her eyes.

Vanellope smiled, closing her own. "Sweet dreams."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

((A/N: This chapter will have some details of Vanellope and Taffyta's pasts, and just as a warning, some may be a little heavy-hearted, so just advising you of that now.))

Vanellope was the first to wake up that next mourning. When she opened her eyes, she found Taffyta lying her head on Vanellope's chest, snoring softly. Vanellope smiled widely. Taffyta was so cute, despite the fact that she was drooling all over her shirt.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Vanellope, I'm headed to work."

"Okay." She said quiet enough not to wake Taffyta.

"Why don't you get out if bed?" Ralph asked.

"I'm still tired." She said.

"It's 10:30. You're usually up earlier than this." He opened the door to find Taffyta asleep on Vanellope's chest.

Vanellope giggled. "I don't wanna get up because of her." She whispered.

Ralph sighed and smiled slightly. "Okay, fine. Just make sure she gets home when she wakes up."

"Okay." Vanellope nodded. Then she noticed Taffyta waking up.

"I'm leaving. Love ya." Ralph said before walking out.

"Love you." Vanellope said back to him.

"Huh?" Taffyta asked, shaking off her grogginess.

"Morning." Vanellope said. "You drool a lot, you know."

"What? Oh, sorry." Taffyta got off of Vanellope, which kinda disappointed her that she couldn't be Taffyta's pillow anymore.

"It's okay." Vanellope sat up. "So I guess I gotta take you home."

"Oh. Okay." Taffyta nodded. She got out of the bed. "I'll go call my mom so she can pick me up."

Vanellope got out of bed as well. "I'll go make breakfast for you."

"You don't have to." Taffyta said.

"It's no problem. Besides, I'm pretty good at making pancakes."

Taffyta looked at her. "Pancakes, you say?"

"Sure." Vanellope shrugged.

"Hm. Do you think you could put strawberries in them?"

Vanellope giggled. "Sure, Taffy. Oh, can I call you Taffy?"

Taffyta giggled. "That's what my parents always call me. Sure you can."

"Cool. Oh, you can call me Vanny. That's what my friends call me."

"Aww, that sounds cute." Taffyta smiled, picking up her cell phone.

"Really?" Vanellope asked, grinning.

"Yeah." Taffyta nodded.

Vanellope giggled. She stood there for a few moments, staring at Taffyta.

Taffyta noticed. "What?" Taffyta asked.

"Oh, uh….I'll just….go make pancakes." She said nervously before walking out.

Taffyta shrugged. She dialed her mom's phone number and waited for an answer.

"Hi, sweetheart." Her mom, Sofia, said.

"Hi, mom. Sorry I didn't call you last night."

"It's okay. I was at work working on a project." She said. "Another all-nighter."

"Okay." Taffyta nodded.

"Did you make it home alright?" She asked.

"Actually, I….wait, you're not at home?"

"Wait, where are you?" She asked.

"I'm staying at a friend's house."

"Oh, that's wonderful! You've already made a friend! Boy, girl?"

"She's a girl. A pretty nice girl." Taffyta smiled. She looked to the door to make sure Vanellope wasn't listening. "A really, really nice girl."

"Oh, really?" Sofia asked with slight surprise, but still with a happy tone. "Do you like this girl?"

"I guess so. She's cute, sort of tomboyish, but she's really nice to me. I haven't told her yet, though."

"Just be friends for a little while. Let things happen naturally." Taffyta's mom was always an expert on love. It was one of the reasons how she married a football player and stayed married for seven years and counting.

"Got it, mom." Taffyta nodded. "But she's so sweet, though! I don't know if I can wait for things to happen naturally." She said giddily.

"Okay, okay." Sofia chuckled a bit. "But try to, okay?"

"Okay."

"So you aren't at home?" She asked.

"Yeah, like I asked earlier, where are you? Still at work?!"

Sofia sighed. "Taffy, honey, listen. I got a sudden call, and I have a sort of meeting to go to."

"A meeting?" Taffyta's heart sank. Not another business trip. "Where is the meeting?"

Sofia sighed. "It's in Boston, sweetheart. I'm really sorry, but I won't be home until Wednesday."

"But…." Taffyta sighed. "I…."

"Sweetie, I'm really sorry. If it were up to me, I'd be home right now, but this is how things worked out to be. You still have that credit card with a thousand dollars on it if you need food, the car's still there if you need to go anywhere. Be careful driving, by the way."

"Yeah." Taffyta had gotten a hardship drivers license since she finished learning and aced the driving test before she was sixteen.

"I'm very sorry, Taffy. I know you feel lonely sometimes, but I promise you and I will spend plenty if time together when I get back, okay? Just stay safe at home."

"Wait, mom. Can….can I stay with Vanellope?"

"Who? Oh, that's the girl's name." Sofia clarified. "If it's okay with her parents, sure."

"Thanks, mom."

"But remember. I want you and Penelope-"

"Vanellope. With a V." Taffyta corrected.

"Oh. Vanellope. I want you and Vanellope to stay friends. I've never met her or her parents. By the way, are her parents nice?"

"Yeah. She has an adopted father. She doesn't have a mom. I think he's nice. He seemed to care a lot about Vanellope."

"Oh, she's adopted, too?" She asked. "How nice! You can tell her that. It's something you two have in common!"

"Hey, you're right. I should." Taffyta agreed.

"Oh, do you think perhaps I could talk to her father?"

"Uh, I think he went to work."

"Oh. So you two are alone?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." Sofia was silent for a few moments, thinking about something. "Taffyta, I don't think I need to have this conversation with you, but-"

"No, you don't." Taffyta said sternly. Her mom could be a tad overprotective, if that wasn't obvious yet.

"Okay. Remember. You two are friends until I know more about her and her father. Okay?"

"Okay. Maybe I'll call you when her dad gets back home so you can talk to him."

"Good."

"So….where are you now?"

"On a plane. I'll be landing in Cincinnati in a hour or so."

"Oh, so you're already gone." Taffyta said, disappointment in her voice.

"If I could have told you earlier, I would've. I just didn't want to call you because you were probably sleeping. I'm very sorry!"

"Please tell me ahead if time next time. I don't like it when you just leave all if a sudden."

"Sweetheart, I can't express how guilty I feel right now. I know you're disappointed."

"But you do this all the time. I come home to find a note saying you're gonna be gone for a week all the time."

"Taffy, please…" She sighed. "This job is really important to me, and these meetings are mandatory. There are only five other people in America that have the same job for this company as me. They're all from other cities around the country, and they're all going to Boston. I know that you like having me around, but I can't control these things."

"But mom…."

"I'll tell you what. You and your friend can go to the mall, a movie, whatever you want to do, okay? When you get older and move out, I'm not going to be around at all, so you should start learning what it's like to live on your own."

Taffyta sighed. "Okay, fine. I just want you to be safe."

"Taff, what's really bothering you?" Sofia could sense something subliminal was making Taffyta feel this way.

Taffyta sniffed. "Don't you remember last year?"

Sofia's breath hitched. Last year, Lucas, Taffyta's father, was flying to Phoenix for a game against the Cardinals, but the plane had engine failure just as it was about to land. The plane crashed near the airport in Phoenix. Taffyta's father was okay, as was everyone else since the plane was so close to the ground when its engine failed, but when she had heard about the crash, Taffyta was scared to death that her father might be gone. It would have been an unholy reliving of what had happened when Taffyta was five, when her biological parents were killed in a bombing at an airport back in her hometown of Oklahoma City.

"You know I don't like it when you fly without me saying goodbye first." Taffyta felt close to tears.

"I know, sweetheart, but I've flown dozens of times, and nothing has ever happened."

Taffyta sniffed. "But…."

"And if a goodbye is what you want, then okay."

Taffyta sniffed again. A tear fell from her eye. "Okay."

"Goodbye, sweetie. I love you. See you Wednesday."

"Bye. I love you, too."

"I have to turn off my phone. I'll call you when I get to Boston."

"I love you."

"Love you, too, sweetheart." She hung up her phone.

Taffyta put her phone down. She sat down on the bed and sighed. She wiped the tear off her face.

"Pancakes are ready." Vanellope said as she walked in. Then she saw Taffyta's face. "Taffyta, what's wrong?"

She sighed and looked at her. "Nothing."

"Are you sure? You seem sad." She blushed a little. She felt a bit weird, she was comforting her crush.

"It's okay." She stood up. "Let's eat breakfast."

Vanellope looked at her for a moment. "Okay then."

They went into the kitchen. Vanellope sat a plate of strawberry pancakes on the table. "There you go. Enjoy."

"Mm, they look good." Taffyta said, smiling. She sat down at the table. She picked her fork up and took a bite. "Mm, they taste good, too."

"Glad you like them." Vanellope said, sitting down with her own plate.

Taffyta continued to eat her pancakes. That's when she felt something against her leg. She looked under the table and saw a little white rabbit sniffing her pajama pants leg. "Aww! Who is this?" She kneeled down and started petting the rabbit's head.

"That's Marshmallow." Vanellope smiled, coming around the table to see Taffyta petting the bunny. "We got her about a year ago."

"Aww! Hi, Marshmallow!" She giggled. "Can I pick her up?"

"Be careful with her." Vanellope advised.

Taffyta picked up the rabbit into her arms. "She's so soft!" The rabbit wriggled around in her arms for a moment, but then got comfortable and started sniffing Taffyta's face.

Vanellope giggled. "I think she likes you."

"Oh, I just love her!" Taffyta giggled. She put Marshmallow back down. "Oh, I'd love a pet of my own. I never thought of getting a pet bunny, though."

"A rabbit is pretty easy to take care of, as long as you feed them." Vanellope said.

"I should ask my mom sometime for a pet." Taffyta said, getting back to her feet. "Once she gets back."

"Gets back from where?" Vanellope asked.

Taffyta scratched her head nervously. "Well, when I called her just a minute ago, she told me that she had a meeting in Boston to go to."

"All the way in Boston?" Vanellope asked.

"Yeah, things like that happen sometimes." She sighed. Her stomach felt like it was getting tied into a knot. "She gets a call out of the blue that she needs to go to some sort of meeting, and I'm here alone."

Vanellope looked down. "I'm sorry. Must be hard, huh?"

"I wouldn't say hard." Taffyta shrugged. "I guess it's as good as I can get. If I lived with my dad instead, he'd be at games and practices and all of that. I'd be just as lonely. And my dad has to stay in Atlanta, and my mom has to stay here, so I can't live with both of them until football season is over."

"Yeah." Vanellope felt really bad for Taffyta. Even though her parents were both very well paid, no matter how wealthy her family was, Taffyta still was alone a lot.

"But it's okay. Mom said I can stay here until she gets back." Taffyta said, giving a half smile.

"She did?!" Vanellope asked excitedly. "When is she getting back?"

"Not until Wednesday." She told her.

"Really?!" Four whole days with Taffyta living with her? That was awesome! Well, not the part about Taffyta's parents being gone all the time, but the part about getting to spend four whole days with her was the awesome part.

"My mom said we could go places. The mall, a movie, stuff like that." Taffyta shrugged.

"Sure. We could go to the mall." Vanellope nodded. Vanellope wasn't exactly the shopping type, but there were places she liked to go that were there. "But….how could we get there? The mall's like ten miles from here. That's a long walk."

"Oh, I can drive." Taffyta smiled proudly.

"You can?! Are you even sixteen?"

"Well, no. But I have a hardship license, so I can drive."

"Wow." Vanellope had no idea you could get a license before you were sixteen. Taffyta must have worked hard for it.

"Yeah, so we can just walk to my house I guess. It's a few miles from here, but it shouldn't take long, I don't think." Taffyta suggested. "Then I'll drive us to the mall."

"You have a car?!" Vanellope asked. Taffyta seemed to be unable to seise Vanellope's amazement.

"Yeah, sure I do." Taffyta had a blue Toyota Camry as her own. Her parents had gotten it for her when she had gotten her license. She didn't drive very much, since her mom usually insisted on doing the driving, but since her mom was gone, Taffyta could drive all she wanted.

"Seriously? Maybe you are kinda stuck up." Vanellope chuckled. "Joking."

"Heheh." Taffyta chuckled. "Yeah, sometimes I'm embarrassed of how rich my parents are. I just wanna fit in."

"Well, don't worry. I've never really fit in, so it's no big deal." Vanellope sat back down at the table, as did Taffyta. They returned to eating breakfast. "Hey, what are your parents like?" Vanellope asked, wanting to know more about Taffyta's family.

"They're good people. Oh, I forgot to tell you I'm adopted, too!" Taffyta said, beaming at Vanellope.

"Oh, really?!" Vanellope smiled back at her. "Cool! How long ago were you adopted."

"When I was nine. My adopted parents couldn't have a baby of their own, so they decided to adopt me. They thought it would better to adopt a little girl rather than a baby. I don't really know why, but I'm glad they did adopt me then. They say the older you get, the harder it is to get adopted."

"Yeah." Vanellope knew all about that. It wasn't until she was fourteen when she was adopted by Ralph. She had been an orphan for as long as she could remember. Well, originally, she wasn't orphaned. To put it frankly, Vanellope's biological parents weren't exactly fit to raise a child. Her mom and dad had problems with substance abuse, drank too much….as a matter of fact, she had heard a story from her foster parent that the doctor that had helped deliver her said that it was a miracle that she was born without any sort of defect, excluding her dyslexia that would develop later in her life. Vanellope's parents tried, but in a nutshell, things got too hard for her parents. They were too addicted to drugs and alcohol and not addicted to Vanellope enough, so when Vanellope was just four months old, a judge concluded that Vanellope's parents were unfit to raise her, and Vanellope was put in foster care. And from what Vanellope had learned later in life, after she had been taken from her parents, their addictions got worse and worse until her father turned to armed robbery to try and get money while her mother died from an overdose. Vanellope's biological father was now in prison; he still is. Apparently, he had gotten into a fight at a bar and ended up killing a man with a broken pint glass. The fate of her parents hurt Vanellope enough as it was, but what also hurt was her parents weren't even married. They weren't even dating. They had just conceived Vanellope the night of a big, drug-filled party. Her parents were both in their early twenties when it had happened. If that wasn't clear enough of an explanation, basically, Vanellope was a mistake. She was never supposed to exist. Sure, the insinuation seemed harsh, especially since she was the one that first came up with the notion that she was just a result of an unfortunate hook-up at a party. As a matter of fact, when Vanellope's mother found out she was pregnant, the only way she was able to convince her father to stick around was by promising money for drugs. Of course, that didn't work out, as her mother quickly went broke shortly after Vanellope was born, and was unable to pay her father. So thusly, Vanellope lived the first fourteen years of her life in a foster home before finally being adopted by Ralph.

"Believe it or not, though, Ralph adopted me just over a year ago. I was fourteen." Vanellope told Taffyta.

"Really?" Taffyta asked. "How nice of him. Most people come into a foster home wanting to adopt a child, not a teenager. He must've really liked you."

"Yeah, I guess so." Vanellope chuckled. "I did pull the whole 'puppy dog face' on him, so that may have influenced his decision for the better!"

"Heehee!" Taffyta giggled. "My parents tell me they adopted me because I was such a beautiful child." Taffyta blushed a little, but it was barely noticeable.

"I can see that." Vanellope smiled at her.

"Oh." Taffyta's blush was now definitely visible now. "Heheh, thanks."

Vanellope then realized what she had just said. "I mean, you probably would've been a beautiful child. I mean, look at you now." Vanellope immediately shut her mouth. She wasn't even thinking!

Taffyta's face was now completely red. She looked down bashfully. "Thank you."

Vanellope was still for a few moments before she cleared her jumbled up thoughts and spoke again. "So, uh, how're the pancakes?"

Taffyta had just finished them. "They were good!" She nodded.

Vanellope took the last bite of her pancakes as well. "Okay, done." She stood up and took Taffyta's and her own plate and sat them in the kitchen sink. "We go change, then we walk to your house?" She asked.

"Sure, Vanny." Taffyta smiled as she got up. She giggled. "I'm sorry, but that nickname is so cute!"

"Heheh, yeah, it kinda is, isn't it?" Vanellope chuckled. She walked to her room along with Taffyta. "I'll change in the closet. You can change in the bathroom, I guess."

"Okay." Taffyta grabbed her clothes from yesterday. "Once we get to my house, I'll probably change clothes. I got a tad bit sweaty at the game." Taffyta chuckled.

"What? Is it a lot of pressure being manager of the football team?" Vanellope asked jokingly.

"No. I just get so into the games sometimes." She then left the room and found the bathroom.

Vanellope stepped into her closet and got out if her PJs. She then put on a white sleeveless T-shirt and a pair of khaki cargo shorts, for the sake if her tomboy fashion scheme. She put on her Nike sneakers, and then left the closet.

There was Taffyta waiting for her. "Ready?" She asked.

"Mmhm." She grabbed her wallet and phone from the nightstand and slipped them into her pockets. She then walked with Taffyta outside. It was a nice and sunny day, with no wind, which was rare for Kansas City.

"Lead the way." Vanellope said to Taffyta as they began walking.

"You'll probably know my house when you see it. It's like a small mansion." Taffyta told her.

"Hm, okay." Vanellope said.

They continued to walk for a few minutes. While walking, Taffyta kind if wanted to ask to hold Vanellope's hand again, but then remembered what her mother had said: "Just be friends for now."

Taffyta sighed. How could she last?

After about a twenty minute walk, Vanellope spotted a relatively large two-story house. It had columns jetting from the front porch to the roof. There was a roundabout driveway with a blue Toyota parked on it. "Is that it?" Vanellope asked, pointing towards the house.

"Yep." Taffyta nodded.

"Wow. It's nice." It was by far the best looking house on the block.

They walked up to the front door. Taffyta pulled a key from her pocket and unlocked it. She opened it, and they stepped inside. To the left was a staircase, and to the right was a doorway to the living area.

"Wow. I wish I lived here." Vanellope said, chuckling.

Taffyta chuckled back. "I'll go change and get by wallet. You can wait in the living room."

"Okay." Vanellope walked to the living area while Taffyta went up the stairs to her room. The living room featured a couple maroon leather recliners and a matching love seat. There was also a stained wooden entertainment center with a large flat screen TV and stereo system, along with a PlayStation 4 hooked up to the TV.

Vanellope plopped down on one of the recliners. It was probably one of the most comfortable things Vanellope had ever sat on.

A few minutes later, Taffyta returned, wearing a pink sundress and matching slippers. She also had a pink flower in her hair. In her hands, she carried a small bag with her car keys, money, and other miscellaneous products inside. She smiled at Vanellope. "Since it's a pretty day, I thought I'd wear some summer clothes. Probably one of the last times I'll wear this for a while, since it's autumn and it'll get cold soon."

Vanellope looked her over. Wow. Vanellope thought she couldn't get any prettier than she already was, but she did.

"Vanellope?" Taffyta asked.

"Oh, uh…." Vanellope stood up and came over to her. "Yeah. I guess you could say I did the same, haha!" She was referring to her T-shirt and cargo shorts, as well as her tennis shoes. It was obvious who had a better fashion sense.

She giggled. "Yeah, you're right." She giggled again and smiled at her.

Vanellope's face reddened. Every time Taffyta smiled like that just made her a little more prettier. "So you gonna drive us to the mall?"

"Sure." She pulled out her car keys. "Come on." She turned and led Vanellope out to her car, first locking the front door of the house, of course. The car doors unlocked with a beep, Taffyta climbed in and sat in the driver's seat. Vanellope did the same on the other side of the vehicle. The car had manila colored leather seats and a video screen with the radio station on it.

"Cool car." Vanellope commented. "Oh! Let's listen to some music!" She said excitedly, pressing the touchscreen to look for a rock station.

"Sure, go ahead." Taffyta ignited the engine and put the car in drive. She pulled out of the driveway and turned down the street.

Vanellope found a radio station she liked and suddenly turned the music up loud. Blaring through the speakers was a song by Metallica. "Woohoo! Hahaha!" Vanellope laughed.

Taffyta cringed and turned the music down. "You scared the heck outta me!" She complained.

"Sorry." Vanellope said insincerely, chuckling. "Just messin' around with ya." She turned the music up a little to a more comfortable volume and started humming along with the music.

Taffyta smiled as she turned onto one of the busier streets. Well, it wasn't too busy. It was Saturday after all. Just a few cars here and there.

The song then switched to a Killswitch Engage song. "Oh yeah!" She hummed a bit for a little while until she said to Taffyta "Sing along, Taffy!" She laughed and elbowed her playfully.

"Sing along? I don't think so!" Taffyta shook her head, but laughed at her. Vanellope was so silly.

"Oh, come on! Sing!" Vanellope continued to laugh.

"I can't sing!" Taffyta protested.

"Oh, fine. You're no fun." She chuckled. "Actually, you are a lotta fun."

Taffyta chuckled back. "Thanks."

"Where do you wanna shop when we get there?" Vanellope asked her.

"I dunno." Taffyta shrugged her shoulders, watching the road ahead of her.

"We could go to Macy's. There's all kinds of stuff there. Maybe you could help me find some new hoodies for when it gets cold."

"I could get a hoodie maybe. Or two." Taffyta smiled. "And winter clothes in general."

They saw the mall ahead of them. Taffyta pulled into the parking lot and parked.

"I brought this." Taffyta said, pulling out what looked to be a credit card as they got out if the car and began walking towards the mall.

"A credit card?" Vanellope asked.

"It's more of a gift card. There's a thousand dollars on it." Taffyta said with imitated pride.

"A thousand dollars?!" Vanellope asked, amazed.

"Yeah. My mom leaves it with me for when she goes out of town so I can buy stuff. It's mostly supposed to be used for food, but I can use it to go shopping."

"Hm. Well, all I brought was…." She pulled her wallet out and looked in it. "Seventy bucks."

"I'll buy something for you." Taffyta smiled. "Or two." She chuckled.

"More like four or five, Mrs. Moneybags." Vanellope retorted humorously.

"Okay, okay." Taffyta responded dryly. "Since you're letting me stay with you for four days, I'll buy stuff for you. But that doesn't mean go crazy and start grabbing everything and hoping I'll buy it all!"

"Oh, please. For a girl who wears pretty much the same small set of clothes over and over, it's nice to bring in new stuff to add to the rotation, haha!"

"Ya know, I should give you some fashion tips. I mean, you obviously don't care about the way you dress."

"Now now. Of course I care." She smiled jokingly. "All my clothes need to be is two things: cheap and comfy, not fashionable!" She snickered. "But it wouldn't hurt for you to buy me one or two 'fashionable' things."

"Yeah. A blouse or something could really fit you. Maybe a pair of boots." She giggled. "But one or two seems kinda stingy. Seeing how you dress, three or four, maybe five is more like it."

"Eh, I know my style isn't exactly what you'd call 'cute', but I don't really care if I'm cute or not."

"Well, you should." Taffyta said. "Even though you don't need to try that hard to look cute." She said a bit quieter.

"Do what?" Vanellope asked, not fully determining what she had said so softly.

"U-uh….nothing." She shook her head. "I just think your style now is fine. But we can get you something different from what you're used to." She shrugged, desperately hoping Vanellope didn't really hear what she had said under her breath.

"Okay, I guess." Vanellope shrugged.

Taffyta sighed. She was growing a bit trepidatious. How could she keep herself from saying things like that? She had basically called Vanellope cute inadvertently. The whole "just friends" deal was gonna be hard to hold up until her mom allowed her to start with the "cutes" and the "pretties." She didn't know how she was going to keep herself from calling Vanellope those things, regardless of how true they were.

After a bit of walking, they finally arrived at the entrance. They walked through the doors, and thusly began Taffyta's shopping date with Vanellope.

Shopping TRIP with Vanellope! Not date!

.…Man. This was gonna be hard.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was a bit more crowded at the mall today since all the winter sales were already going on, and it was Saturday; the day most people go shopping. But it wasn't crazy like it would be in December.

"I haven't been to the mall in months." Vanellope admitted. "I'm not sure I know my way around this place."

"Well, I've never been here." Taffyta told her. "So what do we do?"

"Well, we'll find Macy's on this map here." She went over to the kiosk with a diagram of the mall. "Hm. It's on the other side of the mall." She chuckled. "We've got some walking to do."

Taffyta chuckled back. "Oh well. We're not in a hurry." They began walking through the building.

"Nope." Vanellope shook her head.

They walked side-by-side as they made their way towards Macy's. They passed clothing stores, shoe stores, gift shops, snack stands, et cetera. But when they were halfway through the mall, Taffyta glanced into one if the stores to see someone she recognized. "Hey look! It's one of your friends!" Taffyta said excitedly to Vanellope, who looked to where she was looking.

"It's Citrusella!" Vanellope smiled and ran into the GAP store to say hello, Taffyta following her. "Citrus!"

The blue-loving girl looked over at her and smiled. "Vanellope! What're you doing here?"

"Shopping with Taffyta." Vanellope smiled, putting a friendly arm around Taffyta's shoulders. "We're buds now, haha!" She smiled.

Taffyta smiled and blushed, putting an arm around Vanellope's back.

"Cool!" Citrusella smiled and nodded. "I'm here with my sister. She's off buying something."

"Are you getting anything?" Vanellope asked.

Citrusella shrugged. "I didn't bring money, so that's up to my sister, haha!"

"Well, Taffyta's just here to hang out with me while her mom's out of town. We were headed to Macy's." She saw Jubileena returning from the check-out table, a paper sack in her hand. "Hi, Jubileena!" Vanellope waved.

"Hey, Vanellope." She greeted back. She looked at Taffyta. "Who's this?" She asked.

"My friend Taffyta." Vanellope said, smiling at said friend.

"Nice to meet you." Jubileena looked down at her shorter little sister. "You gonna go off with them?" She asked.

"Sure!" She nodded.

"Okay. I'll call you when you need to be getting back to the car." She hugged her. "Have fun."

"Thanks, sis. Love ya." She said as she started walking off with Vanellope and Taffyta.

"Love ya." Jubileena waved.

Citrusella looked back to her two friends. "So you're Taffyta, right?" Citrusella asked.

"Mmhm." She nodded.

"How'd you and Vanny become friends so quick?" She asked curiously.

"Well…." Taffyta blushed a little after remembering last night.

"She needed a ride home 'cause her mom was working late." Vanellope said. "So I walked with her to my house, but then we decided she could sleep over. Then this morning, we found out her mom left on a short-notice business trip, so she called her mom, and she said Taffyta could stay with me until she gets back!"

"Cool! I'm Citrusella." She held her hand out.

Taffyta shook it. "Nice to meet you."

"Do you do any extra curricular stuff?" Citrusella asked. "Sports, clubs, or something?"

"I play tennis." She told her.

"Oh, like Candela?" Citrusella asked. Candela (AKA Candlehead) was a sophomore that was big on sports. She played volleyball, tennis, track; she excelled in athletics. Not so much in academics. She was a solid B-C student, since she could be pretty ditzy and easily distracted during class. She was nice, though, as long as you didn't provoke her. If you ever made her mad, she could use her athleticism to do quite a number on you. She had a rather short fuse.

"Yeah. She's on varsity tennis like me." Taffyta nodded.

"You're on varsity? Impressive." Citrusella told her. A varsity freshman was rather rare.

"Mmhm."

"She was a district champion, right?" Vanellope asked.

"Yeah, back in junior high in Topeka."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Taffyta." Citrusella told her.

"Nice to meet you, too."

"We're here." Vanellope announced as they finally reached the Macy's. They walked through the door to a sign advertising a sale for hoodies 20% off. "They're having a sale on hoodies! Yes!"

Taffyta chuckled. "Then let's go get some."

They walked to a section with plenty of different sweatshirts to choose from. Nike sweatshirts, college sweatshirts, high school sweatshirts, and more were there to pick from.

"How will I ever decide?" Vanellope asked. It would be fitting to describe Vanellope as a kid in a candy store when it came to shopping for hoodies, sneakers, and T-shirts. Shopping for dresses, on the other hand, weren't her forte, like the time Ralph made her get a dress to wear to Ralph's brother's wedding, where she would be the bridesmaid. Admittedly, it would have pretty much been the perfect night for Vanellope if not for that cursed itchy collar on that dress and the shoes she had to wear. She'd preferred a pair of Converse rather than those high-heeled death devices. She still had the marks left on her feet. That's why after Uncle Felix's and Aunt Tamora's wedded, Vanellope snuck off and changed shoes.

But back to hoodie shopping.

"Oh, Vanellope!" Taffyta called from a few racks down from where Vanellope was looking. She raised a pink sweatshirt above her head. "How about this one?" She asked. She was joking, of course. She didn't figure Vanellope was a big fan of pink.

"Ew!" Vanellope said in disgust.

"Aw, come on!" Taffyta chuckled. She looked down at the piece of clothing. "I kinda like it. Well, if you don't want it, I'll take it then."

"Sure, whatever." Vanellope waved a hand at her in a dismissive manner. "You see any green ones?"

"Yeah, plenty." Taffyta told her.

"Not just a normal green. A lighter green like….mint ice cream."

"Oh." Taffyta took a look around. "I dunno."

"How 'bout this one?" Citrusella asked from a little ways away, lifting a green hoodie up over the racks to show Vanellope.

"Yeah!" Vanellope hurried over to get a closer look at it. She took the shirt from Citrusella. "This is perfect."

"Cool. Glad I could help." Citrusella pointed her chin up proudly, crossing her arms.

Vanellope elbowed her playfully. "Yeah, thanks." She glanced at another rack of sweatshirts. "Hey, there's you a blue one." She pointed.

Citrusella looked over. "Oh, yes!" She exclaimed, grabbing it. "But I don't have any money."

"I'll buy it for you." Taffyta offered as she walked over.

"You will?" Citrusella asked.

"Sure."

Vanellope chuckled. "She's kinda rich." She told Citrusella.

"Oh." She nodded. "Well, thanks, Taffyta."

"No prob. Now what else were we gonna get?"

"I dunno. I just wanted a hoodie." Vanellope giggled.

"You know, I need to get you something a little more girly." Taffyta grinned.

"Girly? Uh, no, thanks." She extended her hands out in front of her.

"Oh, come on. It wouldn't hurt." She grabbed Vanellope's wrist. "Come on. I'm gonna find you something pretty."

"No no no! Ella, help me!" Vanellope begged.

"Eh, she has a point, Van." Citrusella chuckled.

"No!" Vanellope shook her head.

"Come on!" Taffyta tugged at her wrist, making her follow her. "I saw some pretty skirts over here."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

It was torturous. What felt like weeks to Vanellope lasted only about an hour as Taffyta, with Citrusella's aid, cranked out outfit after outfit trying to find a rightful combination. Each time Vanellope had to make a trip back to the dressing rooms became more and more tedious. It was a big waste of time in her eyes, because every time she'd emerge from the changing cubicle, Taffyta would shake her head, saying "the skirt doesn't coincide with the top" or "the boots don't match your hair."

"Is this all really necessary?" Vanellope asked, hunching over from exhaustion as Taffyta and her apparent assistant Citrusella browsed the array of clothing. "I'm starving. Can't we just go to the food court?"

"Just wait, Vanellope. We'll find you something." Taffyta promised.

"Why do you want to get me a 'pretty' outfit anyway? I'm fine with what I got."

"Yes, we know. But you might like it." Citrusella said.

"Here." Taffyta came back over to Vanellope, carrying a brown skirt, green and white striped leggings, and a pair of boots. "Try these with your sweatshirt."

"With my sweatshirt?" Vanellope asked. "Hm. That's actually not too bad then." She took the clothing and went back into the changing room.

After a couple minutes of changing, Vanellope came back out of the room.

Taffyta tilted her head to the side, studying Vanellope's outfit. "That's actually pretty good." She nodded. "I think that'll work for you. Don't you think?"

"Actually, I kinda like it." Vanellope admitted.

"Great! You can get it and wear it to school Monday!" Taffyta grinned.

"Sure." Vanellope hurried back to the room and changed back into her T-shirt and shorts. She carried her new clothes in her arms. "Can we please go eat now?"

"Yeah." Citrusella nodded to Taffyta.

"Sure. Let's go check out first." Taffyta said.

They had their clothes scanned, bagged, and paid for at the cashier table, then they walked back out into the buzzing mall corridor, carrying their bags of clothes.

"Oh boy, I need to eat!" Vanellope groaned.

The other two girls giggled at her as they continued walking before arriving at the food court, a series of vendors lining the walls, all surrounding a large collection of tables and chairs.

"Oh, frozen yogurt!" Citrusella pointed towards a frozen treat stand called "Fruity Freeze". She began walking towards the stand without even waiting for the other two girls.

"Wait up, Citrus." Vanellope said as she followed with Taffyta.

They each got some frozen yogurt, mint for Vanellope, strawberry for Taffyta, and blueberry for Citrusella. They then sat down at the nearest table.

"Mm, this is tasty." Vanellope said, taking large bites of her treat.

"At least try to make it last." Taffyta giggled. She glanced over Vanellope's shoulder to see someone she recognized. Plenty of someones, actually.

Rancis Fluggerbutter, along with his buddies from football Prince Richardson, a running back, and Walker Haagen, a linebacker, were walking away from an Italian restaurant, each carrying trays of with three slices of pizza each. They were all wearing their black letterman jackets with green C's on them. They sat down at a table.

"Who we playing next week?" Walker asked, sitting across from Prince and Rancis.

"Prescott?" Prince asked, looking at Rancis for confirmation.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"They've got that running back who runs on jet fuel." Prince chuckled.

"Yeah, but he doesn't know how to move. He runs straight at the defense." Rancis said.

"Yeah, he won't even be able to walk straight if I hit him, haha!" Walker laughed.

"I don't doubt that." Rancis chuckled, taking a large bite out if her pizza.

Walker chuckled again until he glanced over Rancis' shoulder. "Hold on." Walker said.

"What?" Rancis asked.

"7 o'clock. Don't look now." He advised.

"Okay." Rancis nodded, looking at Walker, awaiting the okay.

Across the food court, Taffyta stood up with her empty cup. "I'll go throw this away. Be right back." She told her friends as she turned towards the trash can.

"Now look." Walker said, and Rancis and Prince turned their heads. "Blonde in the pink dress." He clarified.

"Oo, yeah." Prince smirked.

"Wait." Rancis looked closer. He didn't recognize her with her back facing towards them. But then she turned around. "That's the manager chick."

"Huh?" Walker asked.

"She one of the team's managers." He turned back around to look at Walker.

"Really?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've never noticed her before."

"She's probably never noticed you, either." Prince snickered a laugh.

"Ohhh." Rancis chuckled.

"Shut up, peach fuzz." Walker retorted to Prince.

"She's nice to look at, huh?" Prince smiled lopsidedly.

"From all angles, hehe." Walker chuckled.

"Eh, I've seen better." Rancis said, unimpressed.

"Seen better?" Walker chuckled. "You sure about that? Did you not see her?"

"Not my kinda girl." He shrugged.

"How would you know?" Prince asked.

"Go on and talk to her, man. She's quite the catch." Walker told him.

"I would, but-"

"You aren't scared, are ya?" Prince asked, smirking. "Huh, playboy?"

Rancis rubbed his forehead. He didn't want to tell them he'd already tried talking to her. He had a reputation to keep. "Fine." He stood up. "Do I got pizza sauce on my face?"

They shook their heads no.

"Good." He turned and began walking towards the table where the girl sat.

Taffyta waited for Citrusella and Vanellope to finish their frozen yogurt. They had gotten more than Taffyta had, which was why Taffyta was already done.

Taffyta noticed Rancis approaching. She rolled her eyes, but then got an idea. She tapped Vanellope's wrist. "Watch this." She whispered to her.

Vanellope cocked her head to the side. "Hm?"

"Well, lookie here." Rancis stood next to their table, smiling at Taffyta.

"Hello, Rancis." Taffyta said. "Fancy seeing you here."

"It's almost as if fate brought us back together, huh?" He chuckled. "Like it was meant to be?"

"I don't know about that." Taffyta shrugged.

"Listen, sweetheart. Don't act hard to get. It would be much better and a lot more fun if you and I just went off to do something together."

Vanellope choked on her yogurt for a moment, but Rancis didn't acknowledge it.

"Because we can both agree." Rancis tilted her head to the side, staring down at Taffyta. "A beautiful girl like you deserves the best." He tapped himself on the chest.

"Well…." Taffyta looked off to the side, mimicking flattered behavior. "Maybe."

"Don't be nervous." He extended his hand out to her. "I'll lead the way."

Vanellope stared at Taffyta with eyes the size of saucers. Was this what Taffyta meant when she said "watch this"?

Taffyta closed her eyes and giggled like a smitten little girl. She gingerly took Rancis' hand and stood up.

"There you go, babe. I know you'd come to your senses."

"Can I just say one thing real quick?" Taffyta asked innocently.

"What is it?" Rancis asked.

She smiled. "It's just that….when you asked me out just, I was thinking the whole time that this can only lead to one thing." She started walking towards Rancis slowly.

"Oh, really? And what is that?" Rancis asked as he backed up. He was starting to like where this was going.

Taffyta smiled back. "Well, I knew that it would lead…." Suddenly, Taffyta stuck her foot behind Rancis' leg. Rancis suddenly stumbled backwards and fell down.

"Ugh." He groaned for a moment.

Taffyta stood over him, smiling down at him. "I knew it would lead to you falling flat on your back."

Vanellope broke into laughter, as did Citrusella.

Rancis sat up, staring up at Taffyta in pure shock. He stood back to his feet, hesitated, then started walking back to his friends quickly.

"Dude." Walker was trying not to laugh. "What was that?!"

"Typical for a girl like her." Rancis said bitterly as he flopped back into his seat.

"Not your type, huh?" Prince laughed.

"Not in the slightest!" Rancis exclaimed. After a few seconds of silence, he pulled his smart phone out.

"What're you doing?" Walker asked.

"Looking at the team roster to find out her name." He said.

"Dude, let her go." He chuckled.

"Taffyta Muttonfudge." He read off his phone. "I'm searching that on Facebook."

"Dude, she's not accepting your friend request."

"That's not what I'm doing." He told them. "Here's her profile. It says she's from Topeka Middle School."

"So?" Prince asked.

"I'm finding out about her. No sane girl does that to me!"

"If you wanna know secrets or stuff like that, search her name in the tags." Walker suggested.

"Oh, good idea." Rancis nodded. "This might explain all of this."

"Maybe she'd got a boyfriend already." Walker suggested.

"She just moved here." Rancis told him as he searched "#TaffytaMuttonfudge". Suddenly, a bunch of posts of different people came up. "Wow. There's a lot of posts."

"She must've been popular." Prince shrugged.

"Hold on, listen to this first one. 'Breaking news, the dyke is moving away. Farewell #TaffytaMuttonfudge." Rancis read the first post.

"What's a dyke?" Walker asked. Prince shrugged.

"You guys are idiots." Rancis said to them, then he looked back down at his phone. "'Good riddance #TaffytaMuttonfudge.'"

"Sheesh. She must've taken a lot of guys down." Walker laughed.

"I don't think that's what this is about." Rancis shook his head. "'Word of advice, #TaffytaMuttonfudge. Keep your mouth shut at your new school. You'll stay out of trouble.'"

"She's already failed at that." Prince laughed.

Rancis nodded as her scrolled down. Then he paused on a particular post. "Hold on. Listen to this."

"What?" Walker asked.

"'Great news, guys! Tyler High School is minus one lesbian next year! Say bye to #TaffytaMuttonfudge!'"

Prince scoffed a laugh. "She's a lesbian?!" He asked.

"I think so." Rancis nodded. "Oh, this is good. She is gonna regret ever messing with me."

"What?" Prince asked.

"Everyone in school is going to know about this, and it will be living hell for her!"

"Hey, uh, I don't know, man. It seems like she's had enough of this, judging by those posts." Walker advised.

"Then why is she asking for more?" He asked.

"Just don't, okay man?" Walker told him.

"Okay, fine." Rancis rolled his eyes. "Instead, I think I'll keep this information, ya know, if the time comes that I need her to do something for me."

"Like blackmail?" Prince asked.

"Exactly!"

"Uh, I think you're taking this too far." Walker told him.

"Oh, don't worry. Until I need a favor from her, I won't tell anyone." He put his phone back in his pocket. "Let's go to Champs. They've got that sale on T-shirts."

Walker and Prince looked at each other. "Sure, I guess." Walker said, standing up with the other two.

"Oh, Taffyta, that was hilarious!" Vanellope exclaimed through her laughter.

"Haha, thanks." Taffyta sat back down at the table. "That's the second time he's tried asking me out. Hopefully he won't try again."

"I don't think he will." Citrusella shook her head.

"You think he took a hint?" Taffyta smiled.

"Yeah, probably." Citrusella grinned, looking back to see Rancis and his friends walking away.

"So now what do you girls wanna do?" Taffyta asked.

Vanellope finished off her last bite of yogurt. "Maybe a movie?" She asked.

"Yeah, a movie!" Citrusella agreed.

"Okay. Then afterwards, we can shop some more!" Taffyta grinned.

"Ugh." Vanellope rubbed her temples. "No more shopping!"

"Oh, fine, whiny pants." Taffyta chuckled. "Then what do you suppose we do after the movie?"

Vanellope shrugged. "We could go back to my house and hang out. Citrusella can come."

"Oh, can we invite Minty?" Citrusella asked.

"Yeah." Vanellope nodded.

"Sounds like fun!" Taffyta nodded. "Oh, even better idea. Sleepover!"

"Oh, good idea!" Citrusella nodded excitedly.

"Us three and Minty?" Vanellope asked.

"Yeah. You two might want to bring sleeping bags, though."

"Okay! I'll text Minty." Citrusella said, pulling out her phone. "Oh, when do I tell her to be there?"

"Uh, 9 o'clock, I guess." Vanellope shrugged. "That'll give me plenty of time to set up something for the party."

"We could just order pizza." Taffyta suggested.

"Yeah, or we could do that." Vanellope nodded.

"She says she'll be able to come." Citrusella looked up from her phone.

"So we go see that movie now?" Vanellope asked.

"Sure." Taffyta said, and the three stood up and walked towards the mall movie theater.

((A/N: I hope no one felt insulted by the "Facebook posts". It's part of the plot.

Speaking of plot, I have been plotting this story out, so hopefully now, updates will come quicker. Thank you for your reviews! Reviews are always welcome!))


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The movie lasted about an hour-and-a-half. After it was over, Citrusella turned her phone back on to find multiple texts from Jubileena. "Whoops. Jubi's wondering where I am." She waved to Vanellope and Taffyta. "Bye, girls."

They waved back to her. "So now what?" Vanellope asked Taffyta.

"I guess back to your house to get the sleepover ready?" Taffyta suggested.

"Sure."

They walked back out to Taffyta's car. After a few minutes of driving, they arrived back at Vanellope's house.

"Huh. Guess Ralph's done already." Vanellope said when she spotted her father's truck in the driveway. "Must've gotten done at work pretty quick."

"I hope he'll be okay with our sleepover." Taffyta said as they got out of her car.

"I'm sure he will. He's not strict or anything." Vanellope told her. "Besides, if he says no, I'll just use the 'puppy eyes'." She giggled.

"Oh, your secret weapon, huh?" Taffyta giggled back.

They reached the front door. Vanellope grabbed the key from behind the loose brick and opened the door.

Ralph was sitting on the couch watching some home improvement show. Marshmallow sat beside him, nibbling on a baby carrot Ralph had given her.

"Hey, where'd you two go?" He asked, smiling over at them.

"The mall." Vanellope told him, holding up her shopping bag.

"Really. What did ya get?"

"Taffyta found me a pretty cool outfit. It's different from what I usually wear, but I kinda like it." She smiled lopsidedly towards Taffyta.

"Oh, really?" He chuckled.

"She'll show ya, right, Vanny?" Taffyta asked.

"Sure. Be right back." Vanellope said, taking her bag with her to her room to change.

Meanwhile, Taffyta walked over to the couch and sat next to Marshmallow. She started gently patting the rabbit's head.

"So," Ralph said, trying to start a conversation. "You and Vanellope been having fun?"

Taffyta nodded, looking down at Marshmallow as she watched her white ears move up and down as Taffyta petted her. "Yeah. We shopped, ate a snack, and went to a movie today. Oh, her friend Citrusella was there."

"Oh, okay." Ralph nodded. "Wait, how exactly did you get to the mall?"

"I drove."

"You drove? How old are you?"

"Fifteen. Don't worry, I'm legal." She giggled.

"Oh. Well, good. I thought maybe you just hopping into your parent's car and went on a joy ride with my daughter, haha!"

That's when Vanellope emerged from her room, wearing her new outfit. "So? What do ya think?"

Ralph looked over. Her studied her new outfit. "Hm, pretty cool. So you like it? Even the skirt?" He asked, chuckling.

"Yeah. I actually feel kinda pretty!" Vanellope giggled. "I'm glad I can wear my hoodie, though." She walked over. She picked Marshmallow up into her arms and sat down with her in her lap. Marshmallow's carrot was now gone, so she just started sniffing Vanellope's new sweatshirt.

"Oh, Ralph." Vanellope turned to look at her father. "Can we invite Citrusella and Minty over for a sleepover tonight?"

"Sleepover?" Ralph raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I dunno. So they can get to know Taffyta? And don't worry. We won't keep you awake or anything."

After a short period of consideration, Ralph nodded. "Sure."

"Can we order pizza?" Vanellope asked.

Ralph chuckled. "If you buy it."

"Ohhh, thank you!" Vanellope hugged him excitedly. The sudden movement startled Marshmallow, who hopped from Vanellope to Taffyta's lap.

Taffyta giggled as she began to pet Marshmallow again.

Vanellope jumped to her feet. "I'll go order it now." She said, leaving to grab the landline in the kitchen.

"When are your friends going to get here?" Ralph asked her.

"I think 9 o'clock." She said picking up the phone. It was about 7:30 now. Vanellope called her favorite pizza restaurant called Lenny's Pizza.

"Alright. I'll stay back in my room so you girls can have the living room." Ralph said, turning back to the TV.

Taffyta just continued to pet Marshmallow, who seemed to be starting to fall asleep.

Vanellope returned to the living room. "They said it'll be about an hour before pizza gets here." She said. "I guess it's because of college football tonight. Everybody's ordering pizza for watch parties and stuff."

Ralph nodded. "Alright. Here." He handed her the TV remote as he stood up. "I've got bills to pay. You can watch whatever."

"'Kay." Vanellope took the remote and sat next to Taffyta as Ralph went to the dining room to do his paperwork.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The pizza arrived an hour later just like the cashier had said on the phone, and after another thirty minutes, Citrusella and Minty had arrived, duffle bags on their shoulders containing PJs, toiletries, and sleeping bags.

"Hey, guys." Vanellope greeted as she answered the door.

The two stepped inside. "Don't you guys know football is on?" Minty asked as she immediately went to the couch and grabbed the remote. She changed the channel to a college football game between Kansas and TCU, about five minutes left in the game.

"Go ahead and change the channel if you want." Vanellope chuckled.

Minty looked to her right to see Taffyta. "Oh, hey. Girl from the football game." She grinned at her. "I'm Minty."

"Taffyta." She said back. "You're a Jayhawks fan?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah." Minty chuckled.

Taffyta gave a half smile. "I like you already."

Citrusella looked at Vanellope. "They're friends forever now." She grinned.

"Well, good!" Vanellope went to the kitchen and grabbed the pizza. She brought it back to her friends. "Pizza, anyone?"

"Oh, yes please!" Citrusella giggled as she opened the box while Vanellope was still holding it, taking a piece.

Vanellope gave slices of pizza to Minty and Taffyta, then grabbed one for herself.

Citrusella sat down on the couch, which left no room for Vanellope to sit. "Well, where am I gonna sit?"

"The floor." Minty said bluntly, smirking humorously at Vanellope.

"Hm. Well, fine then." She sat on the floor in front of the couch.

"Don't be all alone." Taffyta said. She gently sat Marshmallow on the ground and went over to Vanellope, sitting next to her. "I'll sit with ya."

Vanellope smiled. "Thanks."

"OH! Yeah! Go go go!" Minty screamed as she hopped to her feet. Her sudden outburst startled Marshmallow, sending the bunny hopping away frantically.

A Kansas defensive back had just intercepted the ball, and he was now running it back up the field, eventually scoring.

"WOOHOO!" Minty exclaimed.

Taffyta would usually celebrate for the Jayhawks, but she just humored in watching Minty's overenthusiastic reaction.

"Okay, we get it." Citrusella chuckled. "You're an insane football fan. We get the point."

"And keep it down." Vanellope said. "I promised my dad we'd be quiet."

Minty sighed and sat back down to catch her breath. "Well, that was good."

"We know." Vanellope chuckled.

Kansas eventually won the game. The game ended about half-past-nine.

"What now?" Minty asked, grabbing another slice if pizza.

"How about you give us a little info about you and Swizzle, hm?" Citrusella asked.

"Oh, yeah." Vanellope chuckled, turning around to face Minty, Taffyta doing the same. "How did it go last night?"

"Pretty good." Minty grinned, shrugging her shoulders to her ears, transforming from a rowdy football fan to smitten lover girl instantaneously.

"How?" Citrusella asked.

Minty fumbled with her fingers. "Well, we went to Sonic and got milkshakes. He drove, since he's a sophomore and all." She giggled, almost proud to be dating someone a year old than her.

"And?" Vanellope implored.

Minty shrugged, grinning. "I had fun. He drove me home." Her cheeks began to turn red. "And he kissed my cheek!" She leaned back on the couch, giggling once again.

"There are two different versions of Minty Zaki." Citrusella said. "Loud, football crazed Minty, and giddy, lovestruck Minty."

"Well, technically, she still is football crazed, since Swizzle plays football." Vanellope pointed out.

"You'd be, too." Minty said. "Come on, Vanny. We've been asking for years." Minty begged, referring to how Vanellope had never said anything about liking anyone ever, unlike Citrusella and Minty. (Citrusella dated a boy named Blake for a short time back in eighth grade).

Vanellope felt her gut tie itself in a knot as her cheeks turned crimson. She always felt kind of guilty for not yet telling her friends about how she was gay. She made a mental promise to tell them if anything ever developed between her and Taffyta.

For the moment, though, she just said "sorry." She shrugged. "Not into that stuff yet."

"Hm." Minty huffed. She then glanced at Taffyta. "What about you? You're pretty. You gotta have someone on your mind."

Taffyta bit the inside of her lip, but the came up with an excuse. "I just moved here. I don't really now anybody."

Minty nodded. "Just thought maybe…."

"If anyone, it's definitely not Rancis, huh?" Citrusella chuckled.

"Nope." Taffyta grinned back.

"Ella told me about that." Minty giggled. "I don't think he likes you anymore."

"Oh well." Taffyta shrugged.

Minty sighed and glanced over at the wall clock for a moment. Only ten minutes had passed since the end of the football game. "We need to do something. Play a game, something!"

"What do you suggest we play?" Citrusella asked.

Minty shrugged. "I dunno. Slumber party games, like truth or dare, or something like that."

"We could play video games." Vanellope said. "My Xbox 360 is back in my room."

"Can we change into PJs first?" Citrusella asked. "I could crash any minute, ya know, haha." She wasn't lying. Citrusella was always an "early to bed, early to rise" person.

"Sure." Vanellope stood up. "I'm getting hot in this hoodie. I didn't put anything on under it, so, yeah…."

They took turns changing in the bathroom, Citrusella and Minty, that is. Vanellope changed in her room, Taffyta changing after her, putting on the same borrowed set of night clothes she'd worn from last night.

Citrusella wore a plain blue T-shirt and shorts, while Minty had on an XXL Chiefs T-shirt that reached just above her knees. Vanellope had on her green pajama top and bottoms.

Vanellope turned off the TV in the living room. The four then went to Vanellope's bedroom and sat on her bed.

"I've only got two controllers." Vanellope said.

"I'll race you on Forza." Citrusella offered.

"Okay." Vanellope handed her one of the controllers.

"I'll race the winner." Minty said.

"What about you, Taffy?" Vanellope asked.

She shrugged. "I've never played Xbox."

"Maybe I'll teach you how to play it sometime." Vanellope offered. "Yeah, I remember seeing that PS4 in your living room."

"Yeah." Taffyta said as she watched Vanellope and Citrusella start their race.

They raced for a little while until Vanellope eventually won the race. Minty then took the controller from Citrusella to take her turn. Meanwhile, Taffyta was beginning to dose off. It had to be close to about half-past-ten by now.

Vanellope won another race. "Yes!" She pumped her fist in celebration.

Taffyta's fluttering eyelids suddenly popped open. "Huh?"

Vanellope glanced at her. "Sleepy?" She asked, smiling.

Taffyta nodded with a yawn, lying back on the bed.

"I am, too." Citrusella said. She left and grabbed hers and Minty's duffle bags from the living room, bringing them back to Vanellope's room. Vanellope turned the game console off.

"Where's your sleeping back, Taffyta?" Citrusella asked as she pulled out her own sleeping bag.

"I'll share Vanellope's bed." She told them.

Minty's eyebrows knitted together. "Kind of a small bed for two people." She said, laying her sleeping bag out. "It'd be kinda crowded, don't you think?"

"I'll be fine." She told her, blushing a bit. She hoped it wasn't obvious that she really wanted to share a bed with Vanellope.

Minty and Citrusella lied down in their sleeping bags while Taffyta pulled the covers from the bed. Vanellope quickly turned the closet light on, then closed the closet door, remembering Taffyta's fear of the dark. She then switched off the lights and lied down with Taffyta.

Only when they heard the definitive snoring of Citrusella and Minty did they begin to snuggle a little bit. Vanellope made the excuse that she was cold so she could come in a little contact with Taffyta. Taffyta didn't completely encircle her arms around Vanellope like she had done for her last night. She just sort of wrapped her arm around Vanellope's arm.

"Good night, Vanny." Taffyta whispered to her, giggling quietly.

"Sweet dreams, Taffy." Vanellope whispered back, giggling as well.

Soon, they began to drift of to sleep. Vanellope had a rather peaceful night. Taffyta, on the other hand, experienced nightmares….

Someone had exposed her secret. It was like back in middle school. The laughing, the scornful remarks….

Only this time….they were not Topeka Middle School kids….they were Carson High kids.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

((TIME SKIP ALERT: I'm skipping Sunday and going straight to Monday.))

Even though it was the first time Vanellope and Taffyta had gone to school as friends, it really wasn't that different. In fact, it was kind of a boring, typical Monday. At activity period, though, Taffyta had come and sat with Vanellope, Minty, and Citrusella at their table instead of practicing tennis, and she did the same at lunch.

But after lunch, the rest if the day was tedious for Vanellope. A test in English, a difficult lab in biology, and an algebra period that nearly bored Vanellope to tears.

After school, Vanellope walked from her algebra class, but by the time she got outside to wait for Ralph to pick her up, she remembered Taffyta. She was about to run back into the building to look for her, but then remembered she'd probably be at the after-school football practice fulfilling her manager duties.

Ralph arrived soon in his truck. Vanellope climbing up and sat on the faded cloth seat.

"How was school?" Ralph asked.

"Boring." Vanellope told him.

"Where's your friend?" He asked.

"At football practice." She told him. "We might need to come back at 5:30, or whenever practice ends."

"Football practice?" He asked. "What, does she play?"

Vanellope looked over at him. "No! She's their manager." She chuckled. "I need to be more specific with you." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh." Ralph nodded. "I'll come pick her up at 5:30, or whenever."

"I hope that's when practice ends. I don't wanna leave her waiting there."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Boys…." Coach Collins called to his team as he walked into the locker room. The players stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to their head coach.

"We have a new player on our team." He announced.

The players murmured to each other.

"Shut it." Collins commanded. "He just moved here from Garrett High School in San Francisco. He is a junior." He paused for a moment, glaring around at his team. "Last year, he led the Garrett Marines to the 4A State Championship."

The players then once again started a commotion.

"Shut up!" Collins yelled, the players instantly silenced. "Please welcome our newest quarterback-"

"Quarterback?" Rancis blurted out unintentionally. A few players near him glanced over at him.

Coach Collins furrowed his eyebrows. "Yes, quarterback, Flugger."

Rancis looked down, avoiding the coach's gaze.

Collins sighed. "Please welcome our newest quarterback, yes, that's right, QUARTERBACK!" He yelled at them, then turned and opened the locker room door.

In stepped who seemed to be the new guy. He was tall, had a muscular build, black hair, brown eyes. He had a rather bored facial expression as he glanced around at his new team. His toned arms were crossed over his chest, a slight glimmer of light reflecting off his finger—his State Championship ring.

"Gentlemen," Collins said. "Welcome to the Cavs team," he slapped the new guy on the shoulder. The new guy didn't even flinch. "Gloyd Orangeboar."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Taffyta sat on a bench out on the field, waiting for the team to come out of the field house. It was times like this where she'd really wished she'd gotten Vanellope's phone number so they could text, but she'd forgotten to.

That's when she finally saw a bunch of green-shirted men run from the field house to the field. The linemen went to one end of the field to work on scrimmage drills while the backs and receivers lined up to run routes and throw.

Taffyta just sat back and watched as each person in line ran out and caught, or at least tried to catch, the pass thrown by the quarterback.

That's when she noticed. The unfamiliar #13 jersey worn by one of the quarterbacks.

"Must be a new guy." Taffyta said to herself as the new #13 grabbed a ball. He cocked his arm and threw a bullet right into the arms of a receiver forty-five yards down the field.

Taffyta nodded. "Must be good." That's when Rancis grabbed a ball and threw it down the field, the same distance as the last quarterback, only this time, the ball fell to the ground a couple yards short of it's target.

Rancis sighed in frustration as he turned and got back in line. He looked at the back of this new quarterback. Rancis already knew this guy was good, but he knew there was no way this guy would ever be starting quarterback. That was Rancis' spot. That had been his spot last year, and it still was this year.

Still, after watching the new guy complete another long-distance pass, and Rancis himself missed by a mile, he began to wonder. This guy did win a State Championship, in California no less, a state with hundreds if not thousands if high schools, hundreds just in the 4A conference. The guy was good, and Rancis knew it.

But there was no way he was taking Rancis' job away from him.

Soon, Coach Collins called for the players to start running plays. He had his offensive coordinator Coach Fleming oversee the offense.

Rancis would go, then Gloyd would go, and it seemed like every time they switched of, Gloyd was doing better and better, while Rancis just kept falling behind.

"Interesting." Coach Fleming said to himself. He was a rather short man, bald headed. But he was muscular and athletic in his own right. He had played football in high school himself. "Hey, Taffyta." He called over to her.

Taffyta got up and came over to hear what he wanted.

"Keep track of every pass Rancis and Gloyd throw, then write down whether it was caught or not." He told her.

"Yes sir." Taffyta nodded as she held up her clipboard, drawing in a chart to keep track of the throws.

To say the least, it was rather lopsided. When Coach Collins called for his team to huddle up, Rancis had completed 14 passes, but missed on 29. Gloyd, on the other hand, completed 34, and only missed 9 times.

Coach Collins talked to his team, and then sent them back to the field house.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Dammit!" Rancis furiously threw his helmet into his locker with a loud crash as the other players changed clothes around him.

"What's your problem?" Walker asked him.

"That new guy, whoever the crap he is. He's the problem." He sat on a bench.

"Did he do better than you?" Walker asked as she put his shoulder pads into his locker.

"He completely showed me up!" Rancis threw his hands up. "I'm supposed to be the star quarterback for this team, not some highbrow kid from California! This guy has no business here! He should have stayed in Cali!"

Walker chuckled. "Well, if you've got a problem, talk to coach."

"Coach doesn't want to hear about this. You know how he absolutely hates his players fighting or even disliking each other." He sighed. "Forget it."

"Ya just had an off-day. You'll do better tomorrow, I'm sure."

He sighed again, shaking his head. "Yeah, hopefully."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

It took Rancis awhile to finally finish getting dressed. Almost thirty minutes after practice ended did he finally leave the field house. Everyone else had driven home by then.

Rancis sighed as he walked back towards the school where his car was parked. While doing this, he noticed Taffyta leaning on the storage building. She had finished putting things away, and now she was waiting for her ride, which was apparently very late.

That's when Rancis remembered. Sometimes, when a coach couldn't observe, Taffyta would watch a group of players practice and take stats for them. This would help the coaches know who was doing better. Like today, she had taken notes for Coach Fleming while Rancis and Gloyd practiced.

Taffyta noticed him walking by, but didn't say anything.

Just then, an idea began to form in Rancis' mind. He glanced back at Taffyta, who was looking off at the highway road in the distance. Rancis smirked as he turned back around and walked back to Taffyta.

Taffyta noticed him approaching. "Can I help you?" She said in a voice matching that of an office secretary.

"I wanted to ask you." He started. "Incase you take stats for the quarterbacks tomorrow, I want you to do me a favor."

"And what would that be?" Taffyta asked, crossing her arms.

"Oh, you know. Just give me a little advantage, add a number or two here and there."

"You want me to cheat on your stats?" Taffyta shook her head.

"Don't think of it as cheating. Just make sure my stats are better than the new guy's, and everything while be fine."

"Right." Taffyta chuckled. "Let me put that on my list of things that will never happen." She smirked. "Sorry. The new guy's just better than you."

Rancis sighed and stepped closer to her. "You sure you don't wanna reconsider?"

"As sure as you sitting on the bench Friday night." She chuckled again.

Rancis sighed and shook his head. "Oh, Taffyta." He smiled. "Here's the thing. You have to help me out, because I have this thing called Twitter, with over two thousand followers who see everything I post."

Taffyta raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"So…." He smirked at her. "If I so happened to take out my phone." He pulled his cell phone out. "And I go to Twitter, I can say anything, and two thousand people would see it."

"Still don't get your point." Taffyta shrugged, shaking her head.

"My point being…." He smiled, an almost evil tinge in his voice. "If I were to type in something like….oh…." He tilted his head to the side. "Say I type in 'Taffyta Muttonfudge is a lesbian.'"

Taffyta completely froze, her heart skipping multiple beats. She couldn't breath. Her eyes were frozen on the quarterback's face, pure shock remnant in them.

"How…." She asked with a quiet, shaky breath. "How do you know about that?"

"Ha! What does that matter?" He grinned. "All that matters is how many people are going to harass you, and bully you, and call you names, point and laugh at you, stay away from you…." He flipped his phone in his hand. "All because you wouldn't help out the school's beloved starting quarterback."

"You're blackmailing me." Taffyta concluded.

"Oh, no." Rancis shook his head. "Don't think of it as blackmail. Think of it as….intense negotiations. Come on. What do you have to lose? Just bump up my stats. Easy as that."

"But…." Taffyta struggled to say something. "You could get in huge trouble if coach found out."

"So? If that happens, my two thousand followers will hear how the lesbian football manager cost Rancis Fluggerbutter his spot on Varsity."

"But…." Taffyta felt tears starting to build in her eyes.

"But if you do a good job." He patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." He nodded reassuringly.

Taffyta sighed shakily. She knew this was wrong, but she didn't have a choice. "Fine."

"Good. Starting tomorrow, alright?" He winked and pointed at her. "See ya then." Then he turned and walked off.

Taffyta watched him walk away. She did her best to try and keep her tears in her eyes. She didn't cry very often. She never felt comfortable about crying.

That's when she saw a familiar truck approaching. She recognized the driver to be Vanellope's dad, Ralph. She was rather relieved to see him. She'd been waiting for a ride for nearly thirty minutes.

Ralph pulled up. Taffyta quickly hopped into the passenger seat.

"'Sup, kid?" He asked as he began to drive back home.

Taffyta shook her head. "Don't really feel like talking."

"Oh." Ralph swallowed. "Okay."

The ride home was silent, and all Taffyta could think about the whole way there was keeping her tears from dripping down her cheeks.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The car ride home was rather awkward since Taffyta had insisted on keeping silent. Ralph didn't really know what to make of it. He could tell something was bothering Taffyta, but knowing she didn't want to explain, Ralph just kept quiet.

They were back home soon. When Taffyta walked into the living room, she saw Vanellope sitting on the couch, playing a game on her phone. Vanellope looked up and smiled at Taffyta. Seeing Vanellope smile made Taffyta feel a little better. She smiled back at her.

"How was practice?" Vanellope asked.

Taffyta walked over and sat down next to her. She kind of wanted to tell her about what happened after practice, she decided against it. She didn't want to put Vanellope in a bad mood, especially since she seemed to be in a happy mood right now. "Fine. There is a new player though."

"Cool." Vanellope nodded, looking back at her game.

"He's a quarterback from San Francisco."

"Uh oh, quarterback, you say?" Vanellope chuckled. "I bet Rancis doesn't like that."

A lump formed in Taffyta's throat just by the mere mention of his name. "Yeah." She said, trying not make it obvious that she was troubled by something. "He's pretty good, too. He won a State Championship in California."

"Wow, cool." Vanellope nodded. "What's his name?"

"I can't remember. He's number 13; I know that much."

"Ha ha!" Vanellope exclaimed victoriously. She showed Taffyta her phone screen. "I just beat Citrusella in a race."

"Good job." Taffyta nodded, smiling. Vanellope's happy mood was helping Taffyta feel better. That was something amazing about Vanellope. She didn't even have to try to make Taffyta feel better. She just did anyway.

"So how did school go?" Vanellope asked, starting another race.

"Fine." She shrugged. "Pretty boring."

"Same here, haha." Vanellope chuckled. "I guess school's boring for both of us."

"Well, it's not always boring, but today was."

Vanellope continued to stare at her phone. "Mmhm."

Taffyta fumbled with her fingers nervously. She felt like she needed to tell Vanellope about what happened with Rancis, but she still felt like it would upset Vanellope too much.

She felt like she needed to say something, so she asked Vanellope a question she felt like asking for a while, but she didn't have the courage before. "Vanny?"

"Hm?" She asked, still looking at her screen.

"Have you ever been bullied?" She asked, looking at her as if she was already sorry for asking.

Vanellope looked up from her phone, looking off into space for a moment. She felt the phone vibrate, which meant her car had crashed and she had lost the race, but it didn't bother her at the moment.

"I'm sorry." Taffyta said before Vanellope could answer.

"I-it's okay." Vanellope stuttered, locking her phone and setting it to the side. She glanced over at Taffyta with those hazel eyes.

"You don't have to explain, I just-"

"No." Vanellope stopped her. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "You told me why you were bullied, so I'll tell you."

"But-"

Vanellope looked her straight in the eyes, which was enough to silence Taffyta.

Vanellope sighed as she recollected the memories. "You know how much of a tomboy I am, right?"

"Yeah." Taffyta nodded. "But….thats not a big deal, is it?"

"Well, in high school, people don't really care." She sighed deeply. "But in intermediate school, it's a little different."

Taffyta choose to stay silent. She didn't want to interrupt.

Vanellope stood up. "Come on. I wanna show you something."

Taffyta stared up at her for a moment, then followed her as Vanellope led her back to her bedroom. Vanellope went over to her nightstand, opening the top drawer. She set a notebook out on her bed along with a few other miscellaneous objects until she pulled out a smaller piece of paper. She looked at it for a moment, then chuckled halfheartedly as she handed it to Taffyta. "Vanellope Von Schweetz at age 12."

Taffyta gingerly took the paper and looked at it. The photo showed a shorter version of Vanellope. The girl's rather dorky smile showed the braces on her teeth. A tacky pair of glasses sat over her eyes. She was dressed in an Old Navy USA T-shirt with the year 2003 clearly printed on the front. The shirt was obviously a hand-me-down. She also wore a pair of faded jeans with stringy holes worn at the knees. A tattered pair of sneakers were on her feet. In her hand was a dirty brown basketball.

Taffyta felt her heart flutter. "Wow." She gazed at the snapshot as if in a trance.

"Horrifying, huh?" Vanellope laughed, tucking her hands in her sweatshirt pocket.

Taffyta shook her head. "No, you're adorable."

Vanellope felt a blush begin to grown on her cheeks, but she shook her head. "Yeah, I guess in a dorky sort of way, huh?"

"Did you used to like basketball?" Taffyta asked, looking up from the photo.

Vanellope shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." She sighed and looked Taffyta in the eyes again, which made Taffyta freeze. "The reason I showed you that was to show how different I was. Girls in the fifth grade were always wearing cute pink shirts and skirts, sandals, you know, girly stuff." Vanellope shook her head. "I never really liked that stuff. I always wore loose T-shirts, jeans or cargo shorts, and busted up tennis shoes." She sat down on her bed, Taffyta following suit as she sat next to her. "That was the sort of stuff fifth grade boys wear, you know?"

Taffyta nodded, beginning to understand.

Vanellope sighed once again. "To answer your question, yes, I was bullied. This group of three girls, like, girly girls, always made fun of the way I dressed, the way I acted. They called me a boy, basically. I know that doesn't seen like a big deal, and I tried to believe it wasn't a big deal, but deep down….the things they said hurt."

Taffyta had to remind herself that they were "just friends", otherwise, she'd have smothered her with a hug at that very moment.

"Probably the thing that hurt the most was one day in April, I think that's when it was. During lunch, I went to the restroom, and when I walked in, those three girls were there, doing who knows what. One of them thought they'd make a joke, so she said to her friends 'oh my gosh! There's a boy in the girl's bathroom!' They all looked at me like I was some sort of freak, pointing, laughing, sometimes even screaming as if there really was a boy in there. They started telling me to go to the boy's restroom along with some other things that are kinda too inappropriate to talk about." She shook her head, willing herself not to get emotional. "It wasn't much worse from what I'd dealt with before, but that day, I pretty much hit my breaking point."

"What did you do?" Taffyta asked in a shaky voice.

"I ended up punching one of them in the face." She chuckled a little, trying to lighten the mood, but not succeeding. "Not that she didn't deserve it. Of course that got me into big trouble with the principal. I got suspended, mainly because the principal figured a couple days off of school would actually benefit me, get me away from the torment." She shrugged, taking a shaky breath. "But it continued until the school year ended."

Taffyta couldn't help it. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around Vanellope's shoulders. "I'm so sorry."

Vanellope was taken by surprise, but she smiled slightly and she returned the hug. "It happened four years ago. It's no big deal."

"It doesn't matter." Taffyta didn't even let the hug loosen.

Vanellope huffed, but decided not to protest and enjoyed the hug. She let her eyes flutter shut as a lovely warmth began to grow inside her. She noticed that Taffyta had a faint smell of strawberries. Must've been her perfume, shampoo, or something of the sort.

It felt like the hug was held for hours in silence. Vanellope could spend eternity like this, but soon, Taffyta began to draw away slowly. The strawberry-scented girl looked at her for a moment, letting her hands trail off of Vanellope's shoulders, down her arms, and barely tickling the backs of Vanellope's hands with her fingertips. Their gaze held at each other's eyes.

Absentmindedly, Taffyta slowly reached toward Vanellope's hand. Taffyta was just about to grab it, when-

"Dinner's here." Ralph called from behind the door.

Taffyta and Vanellope immediately shuffled away from each other as the door swing open. Ralph looked in. "Oh, there you are, Taffyta." He chuckled. "Wondered where you went. Anyway, I got chicken baskets from DQ for dinner." Then he walked back to the kitchen.

Vanellope glanced at Taffyta. "You like chicken strips?"

Taffyta chuckled, pushing some hair behind her ear. "Sure."

The two stood up and made their ways to the dinning room. They sat at the dinning table and began to eat, acting as if they hadn't just shared the hug of the century.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next day, after a typical day of school, Taffyta went to the football field. It felt like every step she took toward the field, the more she just wanted to leave. She had been loathing all day about the fact that she'd have to help Rancis remain as the starting quarterback. Just thinking about yesterday's confrontation with the jock made Taffyta want to punch a concrete wall. Not only was he blackmailing her, she could also get in huge trouble if anyone ever found out she was cheating for him. Then rumors would start spreading like a swarm of wasps, which would only lead to Taffyta getting a lot of unwanted attention from high school students she didn't even know.

After grabbing her clipboard and hauling out a bag of about twenty footballs, she sat on a bench with a sigh. She got a feeling that this practice was going to take a long time. Soon enough, the varsity football team emerged from the field house. The players went to their usual places.

Coach Rooney, one of the assistant coaches, approached Taffyta. "Coach Collins is sick." He told her. Coach Rooney was much shorter and less muscular than Coach Collins, but he was smart when it came to football. "I'm going to be observing defense. Watch offense and take notes for a while. I'm trusting that you know what you're doing. I'll be back over here soon." With that, Coach Rooney walked off.

Taffyta turned to see the quarterbacks throwing to the receivers. She sighed once again as she stood and reluctantly trudged over to observe the throwing. There really wasn't a point in watching anyway. All she had to do was make Rancis' stats better than Gloyd's, regardless how well either one of them did.

Taffyta thought about Coach Collins not being able to watch practice himself. Maybe Taffyta could go tell Coach Rooney she was feeling sick so she could get out of this situation, but then again, Rancis had already seen her there. She couldn't get away without getting in trouble with him.

Rancis stared at her like a drill sergeant, raw command in his eyes as if reminding Taffyta of what she was supposed to do. Taffyta immediately averted her gaze, looking down at her clipboard. She sighed once again and started jotting down false statistics on the paper. She felt so bad for doing this. It was unfair to Gloyd, as well for the rest of the team. Not to mention, it was completely unfair for her especially.

Practice continued, but whatever the quarterbacks did didn't matter. Taffyta had already finished writing. As far as the coaches would know, Rancis had completed 30 out of 45 passes while Gloyd only completed 22 out of 45. Soon enough, Coach Rooney called the offensive players over to run plays. Taffyta sighed in relief. With Coach watching, Taffyta didn't have to continue writing down lies.

Rancis was the first one to get to run through plays, since he was the starter. Gloyd eventually got to run plays, and he seemed to be doing better like usual. But that didn't really matter.

Practice ended, and Taffyta put away her clipboard. She knew once Coach Collins would return, he'd want to see the stats for the quarterbacks, but he wouldn't get the truth.

Thankfully, Ralph arrived on time to pick Taffyta up. Taffyta did not want to wait around the storage building with the possibility of running into Rancis again. She walked quickly to the truck, and to her surprise, Vanellope was sitting there in the passenger's seat. "Hi ya!" She greeted happily with a smile.

Taffyta smiled back and chuckled softly. "Hi."

Vanellope unbuckled and scooted to the middle seat of the cab of the truck. There was no second row of seats, so the three would have to sit side-by-side. Taffyta hopped in and buckled in. Ralph's broad shoulders forced Vanellope into Taffyta a little bit, but she didn't mind. Vanellope was wearing that same hoodie. The tomboy seemed to be becoming more and more enamored in that sweatshirt.

Ralph drove the normal route back to the house. Taffyta climbed from the truck. Never had she been so relieved to be back at this house. They walked inside. Vanellope waved for Taffyta to follow her. "I got a new assignment in drawing class. Could you look at my drawing and tell me what you think?"

"Sure." Taffyta told her as she followed Vanellope to the dinning room, where a sheet of paper sat.

"The theme is supposed to be 'nature', so…." Vanellope flipped the paper over, revealing a very lifelike drawing of a rabbit. Vanellope giggled. "So I drew Marshmallow. You know, 'cause….rabbit, animal, nature." Vanellope explained her thought process.

Taffyta marveled at the drawing. It appeared as if the pencil-drawn bunny could just hop right off the table and go bouncing around with Marshmallow. "It's awesome!"

"Ya think so? You don't think I got the eyes too small?"

"I see no flaws." Taffyta told her.

"But the ears are different length, aren't they? And the legs are too short, and…."

"This is the best rabbit drawing I've ever seen." Taffyta told her surely. She'd heard that artists were crazy about details. She could understand. You don't want even the slightest flaw in something you created yourself.

Vanellope took a few seconds to look at her drawing. "Yeah, I guess it's alright."

"Understatement, but okay." Taffyta giggled.

Just then, a ringing sound came from Vanellope's pocket. She pulled out her cell phone, reading a text. "Citrusella says she's going to G-Force with Minty and Jubileena, and she wants us to come!"

"What's G-Force?" Taffyta asked.

"It's got an arcade, laser tag, mini golf, oh, and the go-karts." Vanellope rubbed her hands together like a scheming villain, chuckling. "I'm gonna kick major butt in go-karts."

"Sounds like fun!" Taffyta nodded.

"I'll ask Ralph if he can take us." She ran outside to Ralph, who was busy organizing a toolbox on his truck bed. Taffyta followed her. "Hey, Ralphie. Could you drive is to G-Force? We're meeting friends there." She smiled, holding her hands behind her back.

Ralph chuckled. "What, you think now that you're in high school, you get to go everywhere?" He shook his head. "Sorry, got paperwork to do tonight. Taffyta can drive, though, right?"

Vanellope shrugged. "Yeah, I guess she could." She glanced at Taffyta, who nodded in confirmation.

"I'll drive you to her house real quick, though. Save you the walking." Ralph offered.

"Thanks." Vanellope smiled at him. Ralph shut the toolbox lid and walked around to the driver's side door. The three climbed in, and Ralph drove them to Taffyta's house soon enough. After Vanellope and Taffyta got out, they came around to the driver's side.

"Be home by 10:30." Ralph told them. "And no Red Bull!"

"Aww!" Vanellope whined. "No Red Bull?!"

"You know how you get after a Red Bull or two." Ralph told her. "Have fun, you two. Stay safe." And with that, he drove off.

Taffyta chuckled at Vanellope. "Red Bull?" She asked.

"Don't ask." Vanellope shook her head. "Let's just say….it gets in my system pretty fast."

Taffyta smiled, imagining what Vanellope would be like if she were hyped up on Red Bull. She secretly kind of wanted to see what would happen. Maybe she'd buy Vanellope a Red Bull some time. Probably not tonight, though.

"So, driver, ya gonna drive?" Vanellope asked.

"Yeah, I will." The two hopped into the Camry. "You'll need to tell me how to get there." Taffyta said as she pulled out of the driveway.

"Alright. Turn onto the freeway, then take the next exit. It'll be right there."

"Okay." Taffyta followed her directions, and soon, she pulled into a parking lot in front of a big building with a green and black sign reading "G-Force Activity Center". The moment they stepped out of the car, they could hear the roaring sounds of go-kart engines.

"There's Jubileena's car." Vanellope pointed at a red Camero parked a few spots away from Taffyta's Camry. They walked toward the entrance to the activity center. "What do you wanna do, Taffy?"

"Go-karts, arcade, maybe some mini golf." She responded as they walked through the automatic doors.

"Mini golf?" Vanellope shook her head. "That's boooring!"

"Oh, come on, it would be fun." Taffyta urged her as a spunky teenaged girl greeted them from the front desk.

"Welcome to G-Force!" She said happily. The girl, who was coincidentally named "Camry", grinned as they approached. Vanellope could tell this girl enjoyed her job way too much. "How can I help you?"

"Two tickets to the go-kart track, please." Taffyta requested.

"Six dollars." Camry told her, pressing a button on a panel that printed out two green tickets. Taffyta paid for the tickets and took them from Camry.

"What if we wanna go race more than once?" Vanellope asked.

"We'll buy more, I guess."

"Vanellope!" Minty yelled to them. She was standing near Jubileena and Citrusella, who were busy shooting robot bugs on a shooting game.

Vanellope hurried over as Taffyta followed. "They're here, girls." Minty told the sisters.

"Hi, Vanny and Taffyta." Citrusella said. Vanellope glanced at the game they were playing. "Hero's Duty". She couldn't help but snort a laugh. What a ridiculous name! Not only did that catch her eye, but one if the soldiers looked strangely similar to her Aunt Tamora.

"Aww, come on!" Citrusella complained as she sat down her gun, Jubileena doing the same. They had apparently lost.

"You guys wanna go race?" Vanellope asked.

"Of course we do." Minty said to her. "That's why we've been waiting for you two."

"Glad you could come." Citrusella said.

Vanellope nodded as Minty waved for them to follow her outside towards the go-kart track. At the moment, about fifteen multicolored karts swerved around the track.

"I heard some karts are faster than others." Minty said. That seemed obvious. One kart, apparently sponsored by Taco Bell, was blazing its way around the track while an Ace Hardware kart was going about half the speed of the rest of the karts.

The five girls got in line to race. There were less than fifteen people waiting, so the five would be racing next. The two guys working the track, a couple of teenage boys, directed the karts into the starting gate. The drivers exited the track, and the people waiting in line walked out and went searching for the best kart. Among them were kids, teens, even adults.

Vanellope managed to jump into a Jamba Juice kart, which had been going pretty fast judging by the previous race. Her other four friends found karts as well.

After the two workers checked everyone to make sure they were strapped in properly, they let the karts race down the track.

It was a rather cool and windy day, so driving into the wind felt like ice water on Vanellope's face, but she still felt an intensity as the engine if her kart growled down the track. Something about racing just gave Vanellope an extra dose of adrenaline. After the first lap ended, Vanellope found herself gaining on Taffyta, who was in a Bank of America kart. She pulled up next to her and stuck out her tongue at her. Taffyta laughed as she tried to keep Vanellope from passing her, but Vanellope overtook her and ended up right in front of her. The race came to an end soon enough. Vanellope had finished before Taffyta, but Jubileena had beaten everyone, parking her kart in the first spot at the starting gate.

"Racing champion!" Jubileena celebrated in victory.

Citrusella shot her a sour look, but couldn't help but smile a little. Jubileena would probably never mature completely, since she in no way acted like a junior in high school….well, in all fairness, she wasn't the only immature junior at Carson High.

"I wanna race again." Jubileena said.

"I'll race with you." Citrusella told her.

"I will, too." Minty said. She glanced at Vanellope and Taffyta. "What about you two?"

"I kinda wanna play mini golf." Taffyta said, looking at Vanellope.

"Let's race again. Mini golf can wait." Vanellope said dismissively.

"Fine." Taffyta compromised. "I guess I'll go buy more tickets."

"Get four so we can race two more times!" Vanellope said to her.

Taffyta nodded and hurried inside, bought four more tickets, and returned to her friends.

Since they had started their first race, a group of elementary school kids had arrived on a sort of school fundraiser. The line for go-karting was now at least double of what it was before the five friends had raced.

It was about a thirty minute wait now as the five girls watched as the kids raced around the track. Many of the kids definitely didn't know what they were doing, for plenty of them kept bumping into the guard rails.

The girls eventually got to race again, Jubileena coming in first once again. They contemplated not racing anymore since the line was still long, but nonetheless, they each had one more ticket, so they decided to wait another thirty minutes.

After racing for a third time, the girls went to the arcade. "I have to be home at ten." Minty said to them.

"We should probably leave by then, too." Jubileena said to her sister.

Vanellope didn't mention that she and Taffyta didn't have to leave until thirty minutes later than them. Instead, she went straight to a token machine to get tokens for the games.

There were probably about fifty games in the arcade, so it was pretty easy to burn time in there. Vanellope stuck with Taffyta while the other three went off to play.

Vanellope spotted a Basket Master game: two caged-in basketball goals side-by-side. "Let's try that one." She hurried to it and put in two tokens, Taffyta doing the same.

The game began as the machines rolled basketballs towards them. Immediately, Vanellope picked one up and shot it, the ball flying through the hoop perfectly. She kept up the good shooting, only missing a few.

Taffyta, however, wasn't doing very well. Tennis was her sport, basketball wasn't. She probably made a basket every time Vanellope missed.

A buzzer blared. "Player 1 wins!" The machine said.

"Woohoo!" Vanellope celebrated. She'd scored 38 points, which was impressive, seeing how she was shy if the high score by just six points.

"Good job, Vanny!" Taffyta congratulated, grinning at her.

They continued playing around in the arcade, time flying away, and before they knew it, Vanellope got a text from Citrusella saying she, along with Jubileena and Minty, had left. It was ten minutes until ten o'clock.

"The others left." Vanellope informed Taffyta.

Just then, she got another text, telling them thanks for coming.

Vanellope texted back a response, and put away her phone.

"They did?" Taffyta asked.

"Yeah. It's almost ten."

"Really? We only have half an hour." She looked Vanellope in the eyes. "Can we go play mini golf before we leave?"

Vanellope sighed, but then shrugged. "I guess."

They went back to the front desk to pay to use balls and clubs. Vanellope got a green ball while Taffyta got a pink one.

Vanellope honestly didn't really like golf of any sort, nor was she very good at it, but if Taffyta wanted to play a round, so be it.

"I'll go first." Taffyta said once they reached the course. She sat her ball down and tapped it towards the hole, rolling around a stone that sat in the middle of the green.

Vanellope tried her luck, but she didn't exactly have the finesse Taffyta possessed. She hit her ball too hard, and it skipped over the brick barrier into the grass.

Vanellope grumbled in frustration as she trudged after the ball.

"You can try again. Just hit it softer this time." Taffyta advised her.

Vanellope returned her ball to the tee and tried again, taking Taffyta's advice. This time, she hit the ball with slightly less power, and it stopped near the hole.

"There you go." Taffyta said encouragingly as she set up her own putt. She easily tapped the ball into the cup.

Vanellope, however, had to take three more strokes before her ball finally fell. She bent over and sighed as she grabbed her ball. "How many holes are there?"

"Eighteen." Taffyta answered.

"Ugh." Vanellope groaned.

They moved to the next hole. Taffyta went first once again, tapping her ball down the green.

Vanellope stepped up to try. As she fumbled with the grip of the club, Taffyta stepped up. "Here." She guided Vanellope's hands into the correct grip. "Hold it like this."

Vanellope was half-aware of Taffyta speaking. She was much more focused with Taffyta's warm soft hands holding hers.

"Then when you swing," Taffyta continued. "You keep your elbows straight and tap the ball gently."

Vanellope didn't know if Taffyta was aware if what she was doing, but regardless, Vanellope's cheeks began to heat up. Taffyta had wrapped her arms around her, still holding her hands, showing her how to swing.

To Vanellope, it honestly appeared to her that Taffyta wasn't doing this on purpose. She was just trying to help her. It was still testing her self control, though. She kind of wanted to just close her eyes and fall asleep in those arms, but she just nodded as if she were agreeing with Taffyta's lesson she hadn't even been listening to entirely.

They eventually completed that hole as well, and the moved on. Taffyta started, then Vanellope stepped up to take her turn.

"Uh…." Her cheeks were still hot. She could only imagine how red they looked. "Could you show me how to swing again?"

She might as well have asked "can I have another hug?"

But Taffyta complied anyway. She once again wrapped her arms around her and held her hands. Only then did she realize what exactly she was doing.

"Um, Vanellope…." She began drawing back, feeling embarrassed.

Vanellope felt Taffyta letting go of her. That was enough to turn Vanellope's self control switch to "off". She turned around hugged Taffyta before the girl could put her arms down.

As confusing as the hug was to Taffyta, she returned it gladly. "What is it, Vanellope?" She asked quietly.

Vanellope opened her eyes for a moment. From where they were standing, they were out of sight from the rest of the complex.

They were alone.

"Vanny?" Taffyta asked again.

She stayed silent for a few more seconds, letting Taffyta's warmth envelope her, but soon, she finally spoke up. "Remember when we held hands on Friday?"

How could Taffyta forget? "Yeah."

Vanellope sighed. She lifted her head to look at Taffyta. That's when she first realized Taffyta was about two inches taller than she was, for she had to look up to look at her. "Taffyta, I want to ask you something."

The sight of Vanellope's sparkling eyes nearly caused Taffyta to miss what she had said. "What is it?"

Vanellope felt a cool breeze blow through, which caused Taffyta's hair to wave around. The light of the moon glistened off Taffyta's sky blue eyes.

At this point, the self control mechanism in Vanellope's mind had pretty much been demolished.

Vanellope's burning question never came. Instead, she pulled Taffyta closer, which caused those blue eyes to widen in surprise. Vanellope could feel her own heartbeat speeding up. She took a deep breath to try to calm down, then looked back into those eyes.

"Vanny, what—" Before Taffyta could finish, Vanellope pulled her just close enough to lock their lips together. Vanellope closed her eyes. It felt as if the world had paused for them. Vanellope couldn't hear anything. The only thing she could feel was the body encircled in her arms. She had no feeling in her feet, as if she were floating. Her senses subsided, excepting a light, sweet strawberry taste on her lips.

Their lips finally separated, and it was almost as if the world had turned itself back on after what had just occurred.

The two stared at each other for a moment, as if they were just realizing that they weren't dreaming.

After her amazement faded, Taffyta hugged Vanellope a little tighter. She tilted her head and whispered into Vanellope's ear. "Yes, I do like you."

The answer to the question Vanellope hadn't even asked yet.

Taffyta's mother had said "let things happen naturally."

That's exactly what Taffyta had done.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. I was experiencing a bit of a writing slump. **

**BTW, this chapter contains a couple instances of bad language. I censored one word since my conscience wouldn't let me type it completely. *~***

**With that said, please enjoy Chapter 8. :)**

* * *

Chapter 8

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is it. Advantage Muttonfudge. This is match point for the Missouri 5A Girl's Tennis State Championship."

"I can do this." Taffyta whispered to herself. She stared across the court at the girl she'd been playing against for the past hour, and now, she finally had a chance to end it.

"You can do it, my Taffy Girl!" She heard. She turned her head to see Vanellope grinning, hopping up and down.

A rush of determination flooded Taffyta. She gripped the ball in one had, her racket in the other. She glared across the court and readied her serve. She tuned out the cheering and tossed the ball in the air. With one swift stroke, she shot the ball down the court, just over the net.

Her opponent was so taken off guard, she couldn't ready her return quick enough, and she sent the ball sailing out.

"Game, set, match!"

Taffyta dropped her racket and fell to her knees as everyone cheered. She'd done it.

"Congratulations, Taffyta Muttonfudge—2013 Girl's Tennis Singles State Champion!"

She felt tears begin to fall from her eyes when suddenly, a medal was placed over her neck. She looked up to see Vanellope.

"You did it, Taffy Girl." She kneeled down in front of her and cupped her cheek gently. She leaned forward for a kiss.…

"Hey, lazybones! Wake up!"

"Wha!" Taffyta exclaimed and she sat up in the bed abruptly.

Vanellope stood there, fully dressed, grinning like a hyena. "You know school starts in thirty minutes, right?"

"Huh?" Taffyta asked, just now realizing it was all a dream.

"Hurry and get ready!" Vanellope urged.

Taffyta threw her covers off and scrambled to her clothes. Suddenly, she felt lightheaded from getting up so quickly. She stumbled into Vanellope's arms.

"Now you don't have to go that fast." Vanellope chuckled as she helped steady Taffyta.

Taffyta blushed as Vanellope held her in her arms, but she quickly straightened up and grabbed her clothes, darting to the closet to change. Once she finished, Taffyta and Vanellope went to the kitchen, where Ralph had made toaster waffles.

"You'll have to eat on the way." Ralph said. "Otherwise you'll be late."

School would start in twenty minutes. That was plenty of time.

The girls grabbed their breakfast and got into Ralph's truck. He drove them to school with ten minutes to spare. "Have a good day." Ralph said as the two got out of the truck.

"Bye." Taffyta said to him.

"Love you, Ralph." Vanellope said.

Ralph waved and drove off.

Vanellope looked at Taffyta and smiled. "Have a good day." She said. She looked around and made sure no one was looking. She gave Taffyta a quick kiss on the cheek.

Taffyta blushed. "You, too." They went their separate ways as they headed to their first classes.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Taffyta went through the same routine as the day before. Write false statistics for Rancis Fluggerbutter just to save her dignity. As of late, when it came to these football practices, Taffyta just felt like a hollowed-out puppet.

After practice, the football players returned to the locker room. Before anyone could start changing clothes, Coach Collins came in. "Listen up, jack-wagons!" He yelled at his team. "This is a message for Mr. Fluggerbutter and Mr. Orangeboar. Tomorrow's practice will feature a tryout to determine the starting quarterback for Friday night's game against Prescott. Whoever performs best will get the gig. Understood, Flugger?!"

"Sir!" Rancis responded.

"Understood, Cali-Champ?"

"Yes, sir!" Gloyd responded.

"And I want you two to remember something." Coach Collins continued. "This is not a position rivalry. You two wear the same green and black jersey. You're teammates, got it?!"

"Yes, sir!" The two quarterbacks answered.

"Wonderful. Now all of y'all, get dressed and leave!"

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Gloyd Orangeboar approached his pickup truck after getting dressed. He was about to unlock the doors when he heard "hey, hotshot!"

He turned to see Rancis, flanked by Walker and Prince, walking over. Rancis wore a cocky smile on his face as he stood with his hands in his letter jacket.

"Yes?" Gloyd asked.

"You maybe be a big time California State Champ and all, but here, that ring on your finger," he pointed a finger at Gloyd's State Championship ring. "Is about as useful to me as a Canadian dollar. This is Missouri, and I'm the top dog."

Gloyd chuckled and grinned. "Boy, you must like the sound of your own voice." He shook his head. "Listen, sport, this team needs maturity. This team needs a man at quarterback, not a boy. The way I see it: you should just step aside and let me lead this team. Hey, if we win the hardware, you can get one of these rings without even doing anything."

"I have a better plan." Rancis responded. "You shut your little mouth and let me do the real work. You have all the makings of a good backup quarterback. That's nothing to be ashamed of."

Walker and Prince chuckled.

Gloyd smiled lopsidedly. "Oh yeah. Well you have all the makings of a good b**ch. But that's nothing to be ashamed of, either."

Rancis stormed over and shoved Gloyd against his truck. He pressed his forearm across his chest and stared at him threateningly.

"Whoa, Rancis!" Walker tried to separate the two.

"Shut it!" Rancis commanded. "You listen to me! I've been playing football since I could walk. I'm not going to take any lip from some upstart wannabe. If you don't want me to kick your ass all the way back to Cali, you better start shutting up and getting out of my way.

Gloyd snorted and laughed. "Why would I do that? I'm the better quarterback here. You need to just simmer down and take notes. I'll be gone in two years, so you won't be a bench-rider forever."

"I've got the mind to crater your face." Rancis threatened.

"Hm. Sounds like fun, Cupcake. Fire away." He turned his head. "There. Left cheek is wide open."

Rancis glared at him before letting go of him. He smiled and shook his head. "Oh, no. You'll get what's coming soon enough, hotshot."

"Aww, so no face crater?" Gloyd asked. "Oh, well. Maybe next time." Gloyd got into his truck. "See you at practice tomorrow. Keep my captain sticker clean." Gloyd drove off, sending a cloud of black smoke into Rancis' face.

"See you at practice." Rancis nodded. He noticed another truck driving away, and he recognized one of the passengers to be Taffyta.

Rancis nodded again. "See you at practice."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

At about 8 o'clock, Taffyta got a phone call from her mom. "Hello?" Taffyta asked.

"Hi, sweetie! I'm home!" Sofia told her excitedly.

"You are?!" Taffyta asked. "Oh, yeah! Today's Wednesday. I'll ask Vanellope's dad to drive me there."

"I look forward to meeting him, and Penellope."

"Vanellope." Taffyta correct.

"Oh, VANellope." Sofia chuckled. "Right."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Taffyta's mother was a tall, beautiful lady. She had long amber hair, brown eyes, and a mouth that was almost always curled into a smile. When she answered the door when Taffyta had knocked, she immediately hugged her daughter. "Oh, I missed you so much, sweetiepie!"

"I missed you, too, mom." Taffyta blushed from being called "sweetiepie" in front of Vanellope and Ralph.

Sofia hadn't noticed the other two until she stood back up. "Oh! Where are my manners? You must be Vanellope's father. I'm Sofia." She shook Ralph's hand, slightly taken aback from the man's large stature.

"Ralph." He responded.

"And you must be Vanellope." She smiled at Vanellope.

The tomboy nodded. "Your daughter's really cool." She grinned, as did Taffyta.

"Vanellope's pretty cool, too." Taffyta added. The two giggled at each other.

Sofie grinned. "Oh, please, come inside!" She stepped to the side, allowing Ralph and Vanellope to enter.

"Nice place." Ralph admitted as Sofia led them to the living room.

"Thank you." Sofia said. "Oh, and thank you for letting Taffyta stay at your place. I understand she's good friends with Vanellope now."

'Really good friends.' Vanellope and Taffyta both coincedentally thought to themselves.

"It's no problem. Taffyta has been great." Ralph said.

"Please have a seat." Sofia gestured towards the furnature. Everyone took her offering.

Sofia smiled towards Vanellope. "So, tell me about you, Vanellope. What're your likes?"

"Okay, well, I like sports, video games, racing…." She wanted to humorously add in "your daughter", but decided against it.

"What kind of sports?" Sofia asked.

"Oh, you know, football, basketball, the big sports."

"Speaking if basketball," Taffyta chimed in. "She killed on that basketball shooting game at that arcade!"

"Oh, you two went to an arcade?" Sofia asked.

"Mmhm." Taffyta nodded. "With some friends."

"Oh, that's great!" Sofia was delighted to hear that her daughter was making even more friends.

"Yeah. Minty, Citrusella, and Jubileena are pretty cool." Taffyta said.

"We played games," Vanellope said. "Raced go-karts—"

"Played some mini golf." Taffyta added. The two girls blushed, glancing at each other and smiling.

"Well, that's wonderful." Sofia nodded. "What else have you two done?"

"We went to the mall." Taffyta told her. "Bought some clothes."

"Taffyta bought me this sweatshirt." Vanellope grinned, stretching her shirt from the tail to show it off.

"How nice." Sofia grinned at Taffyta.

"Overall, we've had lots of fun together." Taffyta smiled at Vanellope. She smiled back.

Sofia grinned. "Oh, uh, would any of you care for some tea, water?"

"Yes, please." Vanellope said.

"Me, too?" Ralph added.

"Taffy honey, could you come help me make the tea?" Sofia asked.

"Sure, mom."

Sofia and Taffyta went to the kitchen. Sofia fetched a pitcher and a packet of tea mix. She began filling the pitcher with water. "Taffyta?"

"Hm?" She asked.

"Are you and Vanellope still 'just friends'?" Sofia asked.

Taffyta sighed, but couldn't help but smile nervously. "No. I couldn't last."

"So you two are girlfriends?" Sofia asked, looking at Taffyta with huge interest as she sat the full pitcher on the counter.

"I wouldn't say that quite yet." Taffyta rubbed her elbow. "We did kiss while playing mini golf."

Sofia gasped. "Really?!"

Taffyta nodded.

"Oh, my baby girl got her first kiss!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Shhhhhh!" Taffyta told her.

"Sorry." Sofia began to whisper. "It's just…." She sniffed. "You're growing up."

Taffyta rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know this." She chuckled.

"But is Vanellope a good girl? She doesn't do bad stuff, does she?"

"No, mom." Typical of Sofia to make sure Taffyta was as far away from "bad stuff" as possible.

Sofia poured the tea mix into the pitcher. "Well, good. I wouldn't assume she would. She seems like a really nice girl."

"Her dad doesn't know yet, though."

"Well, maybe now's a good time to tell him, hm?" Sofia got two glasses from the cabinet and filled them with ice and tea.

"Yeah, guess so." Taffyta was starting to feel nervous.

Sofia took the two glasses. "Come on." She and Taffyta walked back into the living room.

Once they returned, they saw Ralph and Vanellope seemingly talking to each other. They turned as the other two walked in. "Thank you." Ralph said as he took the glass of tea from Sofia.

"Thanks." Vanellope said, doing the same. She glanced at Taffyta to see her pointing at Sofia and mouthing "she knows."

Vanellope did the same, showing her that Ralph knew, too. She'd just told him about it.

"So, Ralph." Sofia said, sitting back down. "I understand your daughter really likes my daughter."

"Funny you should mention that." Ralph responded. "Vanellope just got done telling me about that."

"Taffyta just told me the same thing." Sofia chuckled. "And I approve of their relationship." She smiled at her daughter.

Ralph sighed. "Well, I suppose I approve as well. But I want to make sure of one thing. If Taffyta is ever thinking about breaking Vanellope's heart, she better think twice."

"Ralph!" Vanellope groaned and facepalmed. The last thing she wanted was her dad becoming one of those fathers you see on TV who are always suspicious of their daughter's boyfriend and is always threatening them if they break the daughter's heart. Only in this case, the daughter has a girlfriend, but other than that, Vanellope feared it wouldn't be different in any other way.

"I won't do that, sir." Taffyta assured him. Taffyta honestly couldn't even imagine ever having even the slightest reason to want to break up with Vanellope.

"I certainly hope you don't." Ralph responded.

Vanellope elbowed Ralph forcefully in the arm.

"Well, I certainly trust Vanellope wouldn't do such a thing to my daughter." Sofia said to Ralph sternly. It was rather startling. For the first time since they had arrived at the Muttonfudge household, Sofia had said something without a smile on her face. Apparently, she didn't like Ralph insinuating that Taffyta would be the kind of person to dump someone like that.

"Well, that's good to know." Ralph shot back. "I hope I could say the same for Taffyta."

Vanellope elbowed Ralph three more times, shooting him a displeased glare.

"So you don't trust my daughter?" Sofia asked accusingly.

"Oh, is it nine o'clock already?!" Vanellope intervened. She was looking at the wall clock. "We should be heading out, huh, Ralph?" She once again elbowed her father.

"I suppose we should." Ralph nodded. He walked over to Sofia and shook her hand. "Thank you for having us, Mrs. Muttonfudge." He couldn't help having a shade of resentment in his voice.

"The pleasure was all mine." Sofia returned, no longer smiling.

Vanellope realized Taffyta wouldn't be coming home with them, so she sat next to her and hugged her. "See ya, Taffy."

"Bye, Vanny." Taffyta squeezed Vanellope in her arms, closing her eyes.

Vanellope wasn't sure how long they had hugged, but apparently it was long enough for Ralph to say "okay, Vanellope."

Vanellope let go of Taffyta. She smiled lopsidedly at her. "Bye." She stood and walked to the front door.

"Bye." Taffyta waved back.

She watched as Vanellope and Ralph left the house.

Sofia sighed. "Oh, well." She sat next to her daughter. "How much do you like Vanellope?"

Taffyta shrugged. "Very, very much. Why?"

Sofia shrugged. "Just asking." She stood up. "I'll go make you some dinner." And with that, she walked to the kitchen.

Taffyta sighed. She looked over at the front door, remembering that hug she'd shared with Vanellope just a few seconds ago.

She already missed her….


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Once again, I apologize for the delay. Don't worry, though. I have not abandoned this story!**

**Enjoy Chapter 9!**

* * *

Chapter 9

It was the first time in four days that Taffyta and Vanellope had slept in their own houses. Taffyta managed, though. Well, sort of. Without the real Vanellope there with Taffyta, Dream Vanellope took her place.

Taffyta was alone in a beautiful field if grass and flowers, birds fluttering around and singing, when Vanellope appeared, wearing a shiny white sweatshirt and jeans, like some sort of tomboy angel.

The two lovebirds ran around in the flowers, holding hands and laughing. They ran to the top if a hill, looking out at the fantasy landscape of trees and pink flowers. Taffyta marveled at the scene's beauty until Vanellope grabbed her and hugged her. They rocked back and forth in each other's arms until one of them tripped, sending them rolling down the hill.

They laughed as they tumbled down, holding onto each other until they finally stopped at the bottom. They both laid on their backs laughing as they looked up at the clouds. Vanellope then looked over at Taffyta and grabbed her hand. They grinned at each other for a moment before Vanellope moved closer to her. Taffyta grinned as Vanellope came closer until being just inches away from kissing her….

_*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*_

"Gaaaagh!" Taffyta groaned as she rolled over and slammed her hand on her alarm clock, but the annoying sound continued. Taffyta kept blindly swiping at the cursed electronic before accidentally pushing it off the nightstand. The beeping still continued.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr." Taffyta sat up and rubbed her eyes. She was so sick of almost kissing Dream Vanellope, then getting woken up. She kicked her covers off and stood slowly from her bed.

She picked up her alarm clock and finally switched it off. The time showed that school would start in an hour.

Taffyta went to her window and peeked through the blinds. It was cloudy outside, the trees shaking back and forth in the high wind. The window was cold. Taffyta figured autumn had officially begun.

Taffyta quickly took a shower, brushed her teeth, did her hair, then returned to her room. She dressed accordingly for the cool weather, putting on jeans and an Atlanta Falcons hoodie over her t-shirt. She then went downstairs to the kitchen.

"Morning, Taffy!" Her mother greeted her. Sofia was dressed in a black business dress and a grey jacket, her usual work attire.

"Morning, Mom." Taffyta said back, yawning.

"Your shirt reminds me." Sofia said. "Your dad plays tonight."

"Thursday night game?" Taffyta asked.

"Mmhm. All the way in Philadelphia."

"The Eagles, huh?" Taffyta went to the pantry and pulled out a box of cereal. "I bet he'll get an interception." She chuckled. "Or two."

"I hope so, honey bear." Sofia grabbed her laptop. "I'm in a hurry. Are you okay with driving to school yourself?"

"Sure, Mom." Taffyta poured the cereal into a bowl. She put away the box and got some milk.

"Okay." Sofia came over and hugged Taffyta, kissing her forehead. "Have a good day. I love you."

"Love ya, too, Mom." Taffyta said, and Sofia quickly went to the garage.

Taffyta sat down at the dining table and ate her cereal quickly. She then ran back to her room to grab her phone, wallet, and car keys, then went outside to her car. She got in, started in up, and drove to school.

* * *

Taffyta vowed to plan a usual meeting place to meet Vanellope before school every morning. She looked around for a while before finding her sitting at the table behind the school building with Citrusella and Minty.

"There you are, Taffyta." Vanellope said, grinning as she saw her coming. "You know, it would really come in handy if I could text you."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Taffyta sat down next to Vanellope and pulled out her phone. "What's your number?"

Vanellope took Taffyta's phone and quickly programmed her number in. "There."

Taffyta looked at the screen. She liked that Vanellope had programmed "Vanny" in as her name. "Let me send you something." Taffyta said, opening up messaging on her phone and typing "_hi_", then sending it to Vanellope.

Vanellope's phone buzzed. "I got it." She unlocked her phone. "I'll add you to my contacts. I'll put 'Taffy' as your name." Vanellope chuckled. "I'll put a little pink candy emoji along with that."

"I'll give you my number, too." Citrusella offered.

Just then, the school bell rang. "I have their numbers." Vanellope said to Taffyta. "I'll text them to you later."

They all got up from the table and began to go to their classes. As Taffyta left for her first class, she got another text from Vanellope: "_Btw, when do you practice tennis?_"

Taffy: "_5th period_"

Vanny: "_Good to know._"

Taffy: "_y?_"

Vanny: "_No reason_"

Taffyta reached her first class.

Taffy: "_Headed 2 class. Ttyl_"

Vanny: "_bye_"

* * *

Taffyta headed to the athletic hallway to prepare for tennis practice. Taffyta was almost always the first one to the locker room, and today was no different. The locker room was empty when she arrived, but by the time she unlocked her locker, many more if her teammates arrived.

Candela "Candlehead" Crawford came over to Taffyta and began to unlock her own locker. "Hey Taffyta." She greeted.

"Hi." Taffyta said back. She pulled her work out clothes out of her locker along with her racket.

"How come you haven't been practicing during activity period like you usually do?" Candlehead asked as she started changing clothes.

"I've been hanging out with other friends." Taffyta explained as she changed from her jeans to her tennis skirt.

"Oh, okay." Candlehead nodded. "You're still into tennis, though, right?"

"Of course." Taffyta promised. She finished changing and put her school clothes in her locker and locked it up. "See ya out there."

"See ya."

Taffyta ran out to the courts with her racket. She was about to walk through the chain link gate to enter the courts when she noticed Vanellope sitting on the bleachers just outside the chain link fence.

"Vanny?" Taffyta asked as she went over to her.

"Surprise!" Vanellope grinned at her. "Thought I'd stop by and watch you practice."

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Taffyta asked, even though she was happy Vanellope was there.

"I'm in study hall right now. The guy who supervises study hall never takes role though, so no worries."

"I hope you're right. You don't want to be truant."

"I won't be." Vanellope confidently. "Truancy is a small price to pay to watch you practice, especially in that skirt."

Taffyta giggled. "Now that we're dating, I guess you can call me sexy if you want."

"I never said anything like that, but thanks, I will." Vanellope laughed.

Taffyta shook her head and smirked, slugging Vanellope in the knee before entering the tennis courts.

The rest of the girls' tennis team eventually emerged from the locker room. None of them paid much mind to Vanellope, but some were wondering why she was there.

Coach Brown, a tall, skinny middle aged woman with short brown hair had her team stretch, then had them go through a few drills. Every once in a while, Taffyta would glance over at Vanellope to see her with her elbows on her knees, chin resting on her hands, staring at her with a smile. This would make Taffyta smile every time she'd look at her.

Practice went on until Coach Brown dismissed her team. Taffyta headed back to the locker room with the rest of the team and started changing back into her regular clothes.

"Do you know that girl that was sitting on the bleachers?" Candlehead asked her.

"Yeah, she's….a friend of mine." Taffyta said. It wasn't a lie, although it wasn't really the truth.

"A friend who cut class just to come watch you practice?" Candlehead asked.

Taffyta shrugged dismissively as if it wasn't that odd.

"You seemed distracted by her, too." Candlehead continued. "What's her name?"

"Vanellope, why?" Taffyta asked.

"Oh, I remember her from a few years ago. She was that tomboyish girl." Candlehead chuckled. "I guess she hasn't changed."

"Nope." Taffyta shook her head as she put on her sweatshirt and locked her locker. "Bye, Candela."

"See ya, Taffyta." Candlehead said back.

Taffyta exited the locker room to meet Vanellope, who'd been waiting outside the door for her. "What's it like seeing those girls in their underwear everyday, huh?"

"That's the first thing you ask me, really?" Taffyta laughed as they began walking down the hall.

"Just wondering. Besides, a lot of those girls are way better looking than me."

"Well, I've been changing clothes in locker rooms since middle school, so I'm used to it." Taffyta told her. "And no, you're way better looking than any of them."

"How would you know? You've never seen me in my underwear. How could you make that comparison?"

Taffyta laughed and shook her head. "Vanellope, I know we're together, but you're getting weirder by the minute."

They exited the athletic hallway. Vanellope then grabbed Taffyta's wrist and led her into a nearby bathroom. "Are you saying I'm too weird for you now?"

"I didn't say-" Taffyta was interrupted by a sudden peck on the lips. Her cheeks burned red as Vanellope grinned at her.

"I've always been weird, I just haven't been weird around you that much because I thought I'd weird you out. Now we're together, so you should start getting used to it, 'kay?" Vanellope smiled at her.

Taffyta chuckled and nodded. "Okay, okay, but only if you pull me into public bathrooms to kiss me randomly more often." Taffyta giggled.

Vanellope giggled as well. "Deal."

The school bell rang.

"Bye, Taffy." Vanellope hugged her quickly.

"Bye, Vanny." Taffyta hugged her back, even kissing her cheek for good measure.

Vanellope grinned at Taffyta one last time before walking out. Taffyta waited a moment, then did the same.

* * *

"Good job to both of you guys." Coach Collins said to Rancis and Gloyd, who stood in front of their coach, breathing heavy after the tough practice. All they had the energy for was to nod their thanks.

Coach Collins looked at Coach Rooney. "Who do you think should start? 'Cause I honestly didn't see much differential between them today."

"I didn't watch the QBs when you were gone." Rooney looked towards Taffyta. "She wrote down stats for their drills, though."

Taffyta looked at Coach Collins, hoping desperately he would not ask to see the quarterbacks' statistics.

"Well, let's see them then." Collins waved for Taffyta to bring him their stats.

Just as Taffyta had feared. She hesitated as first, but didn't want the coach to get suspicious of anything, so she gave her clipboard to the coach quickly.

She noticed Rancis nod to her subtly, which was enough to make Taffyta want to break her clipboard over his head.

Coach Collins checked over the numbers Taffyta had written down on the page. He nodded. "Uh-huh." He handed the clipboard back to Taffyta as quickly as he had taken it. "Fluggerbutter, it's your start."

"Yes." Rancis pumped his fist victoriously while the entire rest of the team looked at each other in confusion. They knew Rancis was good, but Gloyd had played much better than him.

"Good practice, guys. Be ready for tomorrow. Bring it in." Coach Collins called his team to break out the practice. Everyone raised their helmets up towards the center if their group.

Coach Collins started the traditional chant. "We're the—"

"—CAVS!" The rest if the team finished the chant, then ran to the locker room.

"Thanks for taking stats." Coach Collins suddenly said to Taffyta. "You do a great job at helping this team be the best."

Taffyta's cheeks turned red, not because she was flattered, but because she felt guilty. "Th-thank you, coach."

The coach tipped his cap before turning towards the locker room.

"Oh, Coach!" Taffyta called after him suddenly, causing the coach to stop and turn to look at her. "Is there a chance I could give a….a close friend of mine a field pass for tomorrow's game?"

"Why?" The coach asked.

"Well, she….she's curious what being a football manager is like, and I'd thought I could show her. And I promise she won't cause trouble."

"I didn't think she would, but now I'm suspicious." He chuckled. "But sure. I'll give ya an extra field pass tomorrow before we leave for the game."

"Thank you." Taffyta smiled and thanked him.

"No problem. Have a good one." He gave a casual salute before making off to the locker room.

Taffyta sighed as she looked down at her clipboard. Then she realized….did she seriously just beg the coach for an extra field pass after she'd just shown him false statistics? If she wasn't feeling guilty before, she certainly was now.

She gripped the clipboard with two hands as she took it to the storage building. Just as she left the building, she saw Rancis approaching. She did not want to encounter him at that moment. Good thing her car was there for her to make a quick escape.

* * *

Taffyta had to tell Vanellope about what was going on. Taffyta knew that if the day came that Rancis did announce her homosexuality to the world, she'd need all the help and support she could get. And better yet, people would probably eventually figure out Vanellope was her girlfriend, since apparently Taffyta was spending a lot of time with her rather than what she usually was doing at school, like Candlehead had pointed out about her not practicing tennis during activity period. Taffyta had not yet realized that Vanellope was in as much danger as she was right now.

Besides, being alone while all this was going on at the football practices wasn't helping her either.

Taffyta drove straight to Vanellope's house. Once there, she knocked on the front door.

Ralph answered the door. "Oh, hey, Taffyta. Uh, Vanellope isn't here." He told her.

"She's not? Where is she?" Taffyta asked.

"Still at school. She has Art Club every Thursday after school." He stepped out onto the porch. "In fact, Art Club ends in about ten minutes, so I ought to get there to pick her up before I head to work."

"Oh, I can go pick her up." Taffyta offered.

"I don't know." Ralph took a moment of consideration, but glanced at his watch. "I could be late for work…." After a couple seconds of him looking at his watch, he sighed and nodded. "Yeah, go ahead. Tell her I went to work."

"Okay, sir." Taffyta nodded, smiling gladly.

"And bring her straight home." He added as he made his way to his truck.

"Got it." Taffyta nodded, trailing behind him.

Ralph started his truck. "I'm trusting you, alright?" Ralph then backed out of the driveway and drove away.

* * *

Taffyta went back to her car and drove back to school. She realized she had no idea where Art Club occurred, so she just parked in front of the school building. Then she remembered about her phone. She had Vanellope's number. She could just text her to tell her she was here. She expected Art Club to be over by now, anyway.

Taffy: "I'm here to pick u up."

Vanny: "where?"

Taffy: "front entrance"

A minute later, Vanellope emerged from the school building. She smiled when she saw Taffyta and ran over to her car. She hopped in and buckled up.

"Your dad's at work." Taffyta told her as she began to pull out of the school's parking lot.

"Oh, okay." Vanellope seemed smile even wider when she heard that. "Thanks for picking me up." Vanellope told her.

"I'm supposed to take you straight home."

"Wait, hold on." Vanellope said. "Ralph always takes me to the Fast-Fix after school."

"That convenience store?" Taffyta pointed to the gas station just across the street from Carson High. "I don't know."

"Ralph won't know." Vanellope assured her.

Taffyta sighed and shook her head. "Okay, I guess." She turned into the gas station. "What do you usually get here?"

"Snacks, drinks, ya know? Don't worry, we won't be here long."

They got out of the car. "Whatever you say, Vanny."

They entered the store. To their left was the cashier's table, and to their right was the rest of the store, shelves filled with bags of chips, candy, and other preserved snacks. Lining the walls were refrigerated shelves behind glass doors with energy drinks, sodas, and bottled water displayed.

Vanellope grabbed a bottle of Dr. Pepper and a bag of Junior Mints in such a manner that it was obvious that that's what she usually got here. Taffyta took her time trying to decide what to get herself, though. She settled on a can of strawberry-kiwi flavored tea.

The cashier, a middle-aged man with a mostly bald head, wisps of white hair crowded to the sides of his scalp, smiled and greeted the two girls, looking at Vanellope as if he recognized her as a regular customer. "How's it goin'?" He asked in a friendly manner as he scanned the things Vanellope and Taffyta had chosen.

"Just fine, Jack." Vanellope told him. Taffyta suspected Vanellope knew the man's name without needing to look at his name tag.

"Where's your dad? Working?" Jack asked as he bagged the drinks and candy.

"Yeah." Vanellope nodded.

"$6.70." Jack told Vanellope, who pulled her wallet from her back pocket and paid. In return, Jack handed Vanellope a plastic bag filled with the things she'd just bought. "Have a good one, you two."

"Thanks." Vanellope and Taffyta said simultaneously as they left the store.

"Now then." Taffyta said, unlocking her car. "Let's get you home."

"Your dad plays tonight, right?" Vanellope asked as she opened the passenger-side door.

They both got into the car and shut the doors. "Yeah, why?"

Vanellope shrugged. "I think it would be fun to go to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the game."

"Your dad said to bring you home." Taffyta reminded her as she started the Camry. She backed out of her parking space and pulled onto the street.

"We can go home for now. But if Ralph is working late, which he usually does when he goes to work late, we could go to Buffalo Wild Wings, watch the football game, and still get me home before he gets home." Vanellope persuaded.

Taffyta felt as if she were in one of those TV shows where a little angel and little demon version if herself sat on her shoulders, arguing over right and wrong. "You need to obey Vanellope's father and prove how responsible you are." Angel-Taffyta told her in a high voice.

"But come on!" Demon-Taffyta retorted in a lower, more crackly voice. "Out at a restaurant, eating and watching football….with Vanellope!" Demon-Taffyta propped herself on her red pitchfork, whispering to the actual Taffyta. "And afterwards, you drive her home, it's dark, quiet, you two are alone in your car. She starts getting cuddly—"

"Don't listen to that pyromaniac!" Angel-Taffyta pleaded. "You're better than that! What if you get cau—" Angel-Taffyta was cut off by a tiny fireball hitting her in the face.

Demon-Taffyta had her pitchfork aimed at Angel-Taffyta. She then glanced back up at Real-Taffyta. "She'll love you for it if you say 'yes'."

Angel-Taffyta wanted to continue to argue, but her mouth was full of imaginary ash.

"It's your choice." Demon-Taffyta said, then the two figments went away.

"Okay, fine." Taffyta told Vanellope, even though her gut twisted into knots as she said it.

"Awesome!" Vanellope yelled excitedly. "It could sort of be our first date!"

"Yeah." Taffyta hadn't thought about that. Yet another good arguing point Demon-Taffyta had neglected to mention. "I hope you're right about your dad working late. We'd both be in big trouble if he caught us."

"When he leaves for work at 5 p.m., he's not coming back until, like, 1 a.m. I promise, tonight will be very fun and worry-free."

"Fine." They arrived at Vanellope's house.

"Technically, you did bring me home. He didn't say you couldn't take me anywhere AFTER you took me home." Vanellope pointed out.

Vanellope pointing out that wormhole was a little reassuring to Taffyta, but she still felt uneasy. It was clear that Ralph didn't want Vanellope going anywhere. Their only hope was that he stayed at work until they returned from the restaurant. Taffyta did not want Vanellope to get in trouble with her father. Better yet, Taffyta didn't want to get in trouble with Vanellope's father.

But Vanellope seemed certain that everything would go smoothly, and Taffyta didn't want to let her down. All Taffyta had to do was trust her, Taffyta was sure she could.


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N: I do not own Buffalo Wild Wings or anything that has to do with them!)**

It took about fifteen minutes to get to Buffalo Wild Wings. The place seemed busy, but Vanellope and Taffyta got a table quick. It was situated right in front of a big projector screen, tuned to the football game Taffyta's father was playing. Pretty much every TV there was tuned to the same game. There were about forty TVs hung around the place, but they were all playing the same game since there weren't any other games going on. Of course, there were a few exceptions. One TV showed a college volleyball match, another pictured a soccer match between the USA and the Netherlands.

"Do we want some wings, maybe?" Vanellope asked.

"Might as well." Taffyta said. She opened one if the menus sitting on the table. She looked under "Wings", which showed a scale of mild to hot. She chuckled. "How about some 'Blazin' Wings'?"

"Those are the hottest on here." Vanellope grinned, looking at her own menu. "It says 'keep away from eyes'."

"If they're dangerous enough to damage your vision, I don't want to put them in my mouth." Taffyta chuckled.

"I don't know, Taffyta." Vanellope glanced up at her from her menu. "I bet I could stomach one."

Taffyta narrowed her vision at her. "Bet?" She smiled lopsidedly.

Vanellope grinned. "Sure! I'll eat a Blazin' wing. But…."

"I bet you don't without taking a drink." Taffyta said. "If you can't finish the wing without drinking, then….you must cater to my every whim this weekend; Saturday and Sunday."

"But if I do eat it without a drink," Vanellope countered. "YOU have to eat a Blazin' wing!"

"Done!" Taffyta nodded.

A waitress approached them. "Can I get you girls some drinks?" She asked.

"Dr. Pepper." Vanellope said.

"Iced tea." Taffyta requested.

The waitress nodded. "Be right back with those." She walked off.

"I wonder how often this place gets someone who orders Blazin' wings." Taffyta wondered.

Vanellope shrugged. "I noticed a bulletin board by the entrance. It said 'Blazin' Wings Challenge Winners'. Nothing was on it. Apparently, if you eat five Blazin' wings in ten minutes, you get your picture up on that board, a free T-shirt and football."

"That gives me an idea." Taffyta said. "You take that challenge and win it, I'll drive you anywhere and buy you anything this weekend."

"Plus, you eat a Blazin' wing." Vanellope reminded her.

"Right. But if you fail the challenge, you have to cater to my every whim from NOW until next Friday!" Taffyta smiled.

"Fine." Vanellope nodded, crossing her arms. "Buy me anything, huh? Does that include vehicles?"

"I'll buy you anything reasonable." Taffyta corrected.

"Fair enough."

The waitress returned. "Here's your drinks." She sat their beverages on their table. "You two here for the game?"

"Yeah." Taffyta nodded. "But also…." She grinned at Vanellope. "I think someone would like to attempt the Blazin' Wings Challenge."

The waitress's eyebrows went up. "Really?"

Vanellope nodded. "We have a bet." She explained, pointing to herself and Taffyta.

The waitress shrugged and grinned. "Okay! The rules are you must eat five Blazin' wings in ten minutes or less. You're not allowed to drink anything, and you're not allowed to get up from your table. If you win, the wings are free, and you get a free T-shirt and football, as well as getting you picture on our Winners' board."

"Cool. I'm game." Vanellope said confidently.

"Great! I'll bring you your wings when they're ready!" The waitress hurried off. She seemed excited someone was attempting this challenge on her time.

"You ready for this?" Taffyta asked.

"I like spice." Vanellope said confidently. "I can handle this."

"I hope so." Taffyta chuckled and shook her head. "I don't want you crying about your mouth being numb when I drive you home."

"I'm so glad you care." Vanellope said back, chuckling.

"Attention everybody!" A voice bombed over speakers in the restaurant. A man carrying a microphone in one hand, a plate of wings in the other, strode out if the kitchen. "I hear someone is taking the Blazin' Wings Challenge!"

The diners cheered and looked around to find who was crazy enough to try this.

"Our challenger, would you please stand to your feet?!"

Vanellope grinned at Taffyta as she stood. Everyone there clapped for her, although they seemed shocked that it was a teenaged girl taking the challenge.

"Miss, what's your name?" The announcer guy asked, then held the microphone out to her.

"Vanellope." She said, grinning at Taffyta again.

"You do know thirty-seven people have attempted this challenge, and ZERO have succeeded, right?"

"Yeah." Vanellope nodded. She actually didn't know that until then.

"You seem confident, but I do not envy you." He chuckled as he sat the plate if wings on the table. "There's your wings. Eat 'em all in ten minutes or less without touching your drink, and you make history! Now, now put these on." He handed Vanellope some clear plastic gloves. "Keep the sauce out if your eyes. Now, when you finish, we'll even give you a complementary glass of milk, okay?"

"Sure." Vanellope nodded.

"Okay! Now sit down and get set! Because…." He pulled a timer from his pocket. "Your ten minutes start now!"

* * *

Vanellope questioned whether the wings were covered in really spicy sauce, or they were just cloaked in molten lava.

She took one bite, and her forehead almost immediately started glowing with sweat. Her face turned red. And after finishing off the first wing, she was ready to quit.

"Hoooo my goodness!" Vanellope exclaimed, literally hanging her tongue out if her mouth. "Okay, I'm done!"

"No, keep going!" Taffyta willed her on.

Vanellope looked at Taffyta, and even though she could barely see her through her watery eyes, seeing her smile was enough to make her forget about the feeling of her throat disintegrating.

Vanellope picked up wing #2. Vanellope figured after the first wing, it could not get any worse.

Boy, was she wrong!

The pain increased ten-fold. Tears were now running down Vanellope's cheeks.

Taffyta was actually starting to look concerned. "You know, you don't have to finish it if you-"

"No, I'm doing it!" Vanellope felt like quitting now would disappoint Taffyta. Vanellope pushed down the pain, which probably wasn't the best word choice. Her stomach had had enough.

But she picked up the third wing.

"Five minutes!" The announcer proclaimed.

With the intensity of the pain in her throat, she attacked the third wing. Once she finished, she didn't wait around to feel another wave of burning coals run down her throat. She immediately picked up the forth wing and finished it off just as quickly as the third.

Taffyta wasn't concerned anymore. Vanellope had three minutes left, and only one wing to go.

The patrons on the restaurant cheered for her. She was a wing away from being the first winner.

Despite the burning, Vanellope smiled as she picked up the last wing. "My greatest life achievement!" She told Taffyta. And before long, she was able to finish the last wing off with a minute and a half to spare.

"She did it!" The announcer guy yelled excitedly. Everyone cheered for Vanellope, who raised her hands in victory.

A waiter came over and handed her a glass if milk, and Vanellope gulped it down in five seconds flat.

"You did it!" Taffyta said excitedly.

"You proud of me?" Vanellope asked. "For eating a plate of wings?"

"Sure!" Taffyta giggled.

"You still have to buy me whatever I want, still."

"No prob."

Vanellope was handed a Buffalo Wild Wings T-shirt, well, it was more of a football jersey, as well as a football. "Now, put the shirt on and hold up the empty plate to prove you won!" Their waitress said, holding a camera.

Vanellope put the shirt on over her sweatshirt and held up the plate. She smiled the best she could. Her lips still stung from the wings.

The waitress took the picture. "I'll print this out, and your picture will be put up on the Winners' board!"

The employees went back to working as usual. "Well, now that that's taken care of." Vanellope sighed and sat back down. "I never want to eat another chicken wing again."

"I don't blame you." Taffyta chuckled. "Do I have to eat a Blazin' wing now?"

"I would never do that to you." Vanellope shook her head.

"Do we want to order anything else?"

"You can order whatever you want." Vanellope waved her hand. "The milk helped ease the burning, but the mixture of milk and super-spicy buffalo sauce is not setting well with me."

"You okay?" Taffyta asked.

"I'll be fine." She promised. "Is the game about to start?"

"Almost." The big screen was currently on a commercial, coincidentally advertising Buffalo Wild Wings.

"Hopefully, I'll feel better before the game ends." Vanellope said. "Are we staying for the whole game?"

"When do you think you dad will get home?" Taffyta asked.

Vanellope shrugged. "Yeah, we've got plenty of time."

Taffyta nodded, but then she started feeling uneasy about disobeying Vanellope's father. Well, I did take her home, she told herself. Besides, how will he ever find out?

Her thoughts were cut short when the football game started.

* * *

Sadly, Taffyta's father's team lost to Philadelphia 23-13. Taffyta's dad did get an interception, though, so that was worth celebrating.

After the game, Taffyta paid for her meal, since Vanellope's Blazin' wings were free and she did not want to eat anything else.

They left the restaurant. It was now night time; about 10:30. Taffyta could only hope Ralph had yet to arrive back at Vanellope's house.

Taffyta drove Vanellope back home. The moment they turned the corner and saw that the driveway to Vanellope's house was empty, the two girls breathed a big sigh of relief.

"See, told you." Vanellope said as they pulled into the driveway. "We had a fun time, and Ralph doesn't know about it, so….everything worked out!"

"Yeah, I guess it did." Taffyta nodded as she turned her car off and pulled the key from the ignition.

Vanellope felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it from her pocket and looked at the screen. "Ha! Listen. Ralph just texted me. 'Gonna be late getting home. You and Taffyta stay out of trouble and go to bed soon.'"

"He's just sending you that now?" Taffyta asked.

"Yeah!" She giggled. "We got back here with tons of time to spare!"

"Well, you were right, I guess. We were at Buffalo Wild Wings for, like, three hours, but everything worked perfectly."

"Yeah." Vanellope nodded. "Ya know….we do have plenty time to spare…." She said, taking a lighter tone. "If you'd want to, you and I…." She grinned. "We could go to a park nearby. Take a walk, look at the stars?"

Taffyta looked at Vanellope. Vanellope showing a bit if her soft side was a bit of a surprise, but it was enough to make Taffyta smile, her cheeks turning pink. "Well, since we have some time to kill, I guess we could."

"Cool." Vanellope smiled back at her before getting out if the car. Taffyta did the same. "I'll show you to the park."

Taffyta locked her car and walked around to Vanellope. "Lead the way, Vanny."

They held hands as they began walking away from Vanellope's house. The air was cool with a slight breeze blowing through, but with their hoodies on, the girls weren't too bothered.

The streetlights lit the way as the two girls walked by house after house, hand-in-hand. The moon was barely visible, a skinny crescent was all that could be seen. A few stars were visible, though, but they were too close to downtown Kansas City to see the night sky in its full splendor.

"You know what would be fun?" Vanellope asked.

"Hm?" Taffyta was sort of lost in the sweet silent moment at the instance to Vanellope's question.

"Just driving out into the country, far from any city, and just lay out in a field, looking at the stars." Vanellope pondered, gazing up at the sky.

"Yeah." Taffyta looked up as well. She imagined laying under the stars, holding Vanellope's hand, millions of shimmering dots twinkling in the sky rather than the couple dozen that could be seen at the moment.

Vanellope moved closer to Taffyta, rubbing shoulders with her. Taffyta giggled. She liked this softer side of Vanellope as much as she liked her rough and tumble side.

They continued their walk. They didn't know how long they would be at the park, but neither of them really cared. This was a golden opportunity for some alone time, and neither of them wanted to give it up.

* * *

"I'm surprised this place is still open." Ralph said to his three friends/coworkers as he got out if his truck.

"Glad it is, though." Dustin, a big guy with red hair, said. "They have the best burgers."

The four guys entered the restaurant. The place was pretty much empty, but the sign said they didn't close until 11. They'd got there just in time.

"Welcome to Buffalo Wild Wings." The hostess said with a smile. "How many? Four?"

"Yeah." Ralph nodded.

The hostess began leading the four guys to a table.

"I'll be right back." Ralph told them. "I don't think I locked my truck." He left the restaurant and went back to his truck and locked it. When he returned, out if the corner of his eye, he saw a bulletin board with a sign that said "Blazin' Wings Challenge Winners". Strangely, there was only one winner.

Ralph stared at the image for an entire minute. "No." He shook his head, but the little caption at the bottom was unmistakable, reading "Vanellope" with today's date underneath.

Ralph went over to his friends. "I got to go."

"Why?" One of them asked.

Ralph sighed angrily. "I Think I need to check on my daughter."

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are always welcome. Thanks for reading this chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Vanellope would see couples at this park holding hands, hugging and kissing, and think it was gross. Now she thought otherwise.

They lied in the middle of the field, hands joined as they stared at the sky. Only a few stars were there, along with the occasional plane flying over, but Vanellope wasn't really focused on the sky. She wanted to enjoy the moment, but she felt like she needed to do something. She was alone, with Taffyta, nobody around. She should kiss her, right? Heck, they could make out, and no one would know.

The thought of making out with Taffyta made Vanellope blush red hot.

Vanellope felt stupid just lying there. She figured Taffyta was waiting for her to do something, but she didn't feel like she could do what she had done at the mini-golf course and just kiss Taffyta right out of the blue. And that was in a public place, although they weren't seen. Right now, it was the late night, and the closest people to them were in the houses hundreds of meters away, probably asleep.

While Vanellope's inner conflicts continued, Taffyta spoke softly. "This is nice."

Vanellope was relieved to get her mind off her frustrations. "Yeah."

A cold wind blew through, nipping at Vanellope's face. It felt colder now than it had earlier, but Vanellope didn't want to be a wimp and want to go home. Holding hands with Taffyta was worth the cold.

Taffyta moved closer to Vanellope, touching her head to hers. "Vanny, where do you want to go to college?"

Vanellope found the question regarding her future education a little random. "I don't know."

Taffyta smiled. "Imagine if we went to college together."

Now Vanellope understood why she asked. "Yeah." Vanellope blushed at the thought of growing up and going to university with Taffyta by her side the whole way.

"You could major in art; I could be a tennis player. It would be so much fun." Taffyta said.

"Yeah." An idea came to Vanellope. "What if we shared a dorm?"

Taffyta chuckled. "I don't know. I mean, I'd want to, but if the university knew we were together, you know…."

"Well, easy fix. We don't tell them."

Taffyta sighed. "Vanellope, if we're gonna be together for that long, I don't want our relationship to be a secret forever."

"Yeah." Vanellope nodded.

Taffyta knew how close their relationship was to NOT being a secret anymore. She didn't want to bring that up, at least, not at the moment.

Vanellope huffed a laugh. "You think we'll be together all the way through college? I mean, not that I don't like that idea. I want to stay with you."

"I want to, yeah." Taffyta nodded.

"I mean, is there a reason we wouldn't?" Vanellope asked. "I mean, I know we're both each other's first girlfriend."

"I couldn't ask for anyone better." Taffyta promised.

Vanellope smiled. "Yeah. Me neither."

Taffyta rolled to her side so she could look at Vanellope. "I do think we can be together forever, though."

Vanellope looked at her and giggled. "Forever." She chuckled. "I imagine us sitting on a porch together as an elderly lesbian couple."

Taffyta laughed and kissed Vanellope's cheek. "I hope even then, you'll still act like a child."

"I act like a child?" Vanellope asked, grinning. "I thought I was pretty mature."

Taffyta grinned back at her. "Vanellope, you'll never be mature." She leaned closer to her and whispered. "You'll always be you." She locked their lips in a kiss.

Vanellope closed her eyes and wrapped an arm around Taffyta, the other hand still holding Taffyta's hand.

Taffyta initiating this kiss felt different than their first. It felt more natural; it wasn't really forced. Vanellope didn't mind letting Taffyta be the kiss-initiator either.

The kiss lasted until the two needed to breathe. Vanellope huffed and chuckled. "Dang, I need to learn to hold my breath longer."

Taffyta laughed and got to her feet. She pulled Vanellope up and hugged her by her neck. "You're too funny."

"I try." Vanellope said back, wrapping her arms around Taffyta's waist.

They released the hug. "Should we get you home?"

Vanellope nodded. "I guess."

"Hope your dad's still at work." Taffyta said.

Vanellope chuckled. "Yeah, let's hope. If he is home, I'm going to die."

* * *

Ralph's truck wasn't in the driveway. Vanellope would live to see another day.

Vanellope and Taffyta held hands all the way back to Vanellope's house. It was now about a quater-after-eleven.

Vanellope unlocked the front door, and they entered the dark house. It was pretty much pitch black. "Today was a lot of fun." Taffyta told Vanellope.

"Sure was, sweetheart." Vanellope said. She was feeling around the wall for the light switch. "Here it is." She switched the lights on.

"Congrats."

Vanellope and Taffyta jumped and gasped when they heard Ralph's voice.

Ralph sat on the couch, arms crossed with a rather displeased look on his face. (Displeased being a euphemism). "Congrats on winning that Blazin' wings thing at Buffalo Wild Wings."

"R-R-Ralph?" Vanellope said with a quivering voice.

Ralph got to his feet and walked over to Taffyta. "I told you to bring Vanellope straight home, and you take her to Buffalo Wind Wings?!"

Taffyta was literally shaking. "H-how did you—"

"I was there! I saw her picture on the wall!" Ralph said louder, startling Taffyta.

"I'm sorry, sir. I—"

"Why would you do this? Right when I was beginning to warm up to you." Ralph shook his head. "I thought you were a good kid."

"Ralph." Vanellope interrupted. "It's my fault. She told me you told her to take me home. I talked her into taking me to the restaurant."

Ralph looked at her, then back at Taffyta, momentarily silenced.

"She was just trying to make me happy." Vanellope said, looking at Taffyta.

"Well…." Ralph sighed and shook his head. "Taffyta, you should have just brought her home."

"But she—" Vanellope interrupted again.

"It doesn't matter if she did it for you!" Ralph yelled. "She's betrayed my trust!"

Taffyta couldn't help but begin to sob. "I-I-I'm so s-sorry….I…."

Vanellope's heart shattered instantly. She immediately hugged Taffyta, who cried into her shoulder.

Ralph sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Listen, I'm sorry for being so hard on you, but you deliberately disobeyed me."

"Ralph." Vanellope said as if telling him to stop.

"You got home after 11." He said. "Where have you been since?!"

"The park." Vanellope told him, patting Taffyta's back.

"The park?" Ralph asked.

"Nothing happened." Vanellope wasn't really lying. Nothing of obvious interest happened. It was just a kiss….and conversations about growing old together.

Ralph sighed. "Listen, both of you. I know this is the first time either of you have dated, but you can't go behind my back to do things like this."

Vanellope nodded. She knew he was right.

"So…." He rubbed his neck. It pained him to do this, but he had to. "Vanellope, you're grounded."

"Huh?" Vanellope asked.

"No dates, no football games, nothing for two weeks, got it?"

"But Ralph!" Vanellope protested. "No dates?! But—"

"You'll see each other at school." Ralph reminded her. "But you're not allowed at Taffyta's house, and Taffyta isn't allowed here."

"Ralph, that isn't fair! She's my girlfriend!"

"You're my daughter! You have been for more than a year! That trumps Taffyta being your girlfriend for two weeks."

"But you can't just separate us!"

"I'm not. Like I said, you'll see each other at school."

"For, like, twenty minutes a day!"

"You disobeyed me, so this is your punishment." He looked at Taffyta, who had stopped crying for the moment. "Taffyta, I think you need to good home."

Taffyta looked down and nodded. She looked at Vanellope. "Bye, Vanellope."

Vanellope pulled her into a hug, knowing their hugs would soon become fewer and far between. "Bye, Taffyta."

Ralph waited a few seconds. "Alright, that's enough."

Vanellope let go of Taffyta. Taffyta mustered a wave before leaving through the front door.

Vanellope looked up at Ralph, who crossed his arms. "I didn't want to say this with Taffyta around, but if something like this happens again, I'll have no choice but to see to it that you two part ways."

Now that Taffyta was gone, Vanellope let her true emotions show. "You don't get it!" She yelled at him. "Girls like her don't come around everyday!"

"Vanellope, listen—"

"You listen! Do you know how hard it was to be the only gay girl at school?! No! But now I have Taffyta. She knows how I feel. She's felt the same things I've felt. She knows what it's like to crush on a girl who'll never like you back. She gets me, Ralph!"

Ralph was flustered. "V-Vanellope, I didn't know—"

"You don't know, my friends don't know, nobody knows!" Tears fell down her face. She sniffed and wiped her cheeks with her sleeves. "Except her." She walked away, heading to her room.

Ralph followed her. "Vanellope, I get what you're saying, but that doesn't change the fact that—"

"I love her, Ralph!" She yelled as she turned to look at him.

Ralph froze. "Vanellope, you know you're only—"

"Fifteen! Yeah, I know I'm only fifteen!" She grabbed the nob of her bedroom door. "But this fifteen-year-old is in love, and there's nothing you can do to change that!" She opened the door, entered her room, and slammed the door behind her, without another word.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

(Flashback!)

Mrs. Minnie insisted Vanellope not go outside, but the cold wind wasn't enough to keep the energetic nine-year-old from shooting some hoops.

Clad in grass-stained, worn-out jeans and a green hoodie, little Vanellope went running outside with her dirty basketball. The sky was gray, and the wind was blowing the autumn leaves right off the many trees in front of the East Riverside Foster Home. The usually busy street in front of the home was much quieter today. The weather seemed to be enough to keep everyone indoors, except Vanellope.

The girl's dreams of one day becoming a star basketball player told her she had to practice everyday, even if it's with a dirty old basketball and a flimsy basket struggling to stay up with each gust of wind. Vanellope knew she'd be famous one day, shooting three pointers and winning championships. That would show those mean bullies from school. She'd never give up, no matter what they would say. She would never, ever give up.

Making a basket in this wind wasn't easy, but Vanellope eventually got the hang of it. She wondered if the people living in the apartments across the street were wondering why this kid was outside in that chilling wind. Heck, she was hoping they'd see her and think "wow, she's really good at basketball."

After a few minutes, Vanellope realized she might have been a little over her head. Her hands were turning red, and she was beginning to lose feeling in her ears. Maybe now would be a good time to head inside.

Vanellope stepped back for one more shot, but right before she released it, she noticed bright lights suddenly approaching. A car had just pulled up to the foster home. Vanellope stood there, basketball still in hand as the car's headlights went out and engine silenced. Out stepped a tall, young man from the drivers seat. He pulled the collar of his dress shirt up to block the wind. He then opened the back door of the car and said "Hurry, it's freezing out here."

A kid bundled in a coat hopped out. She was a girl, probably about Vanellope's age. The man grabbed her hand, and they started hurrying for the front door of the foster home front door to escape the wind.

Out of curiosity, Vanellope followed them inside. Mrs. Minnie, who had been sitting at her desk reading a book, looked up at the man and the girl. "Oh, I forgot you were coming today!" She said with a grin. The middle aged, red-headed lady stood and came over to the dashing man and hugged him.

When they broke the hug, the man gestured to the girl. "This is the little one we talked about over the phone. We figured this would be a better place for her, since there are more kids her age here than at the Cottonwood Home."

Mrs. Minnie kneeled down and smiled at the girl. "Well, it's not windy in here, you know." She helpfully tugged the girl's hood back. The girl had blond hair and light blue eyes. She looked at Mrs. Minnie and smiled.

"Well, aren't you the prettiest little girl ever?" Mrs. Minnie complimented.

The girl fiddled with her fingers and rocked on her heels, blushing. "Yeah." She said in a light voice.

Mrs. Minnie and the girl's escort chuckled.

"Well, welcome to East Riverside." Mrs. Minnie said. "You'll be staying here for a while, okay? There are plenty of boys and girls your age here for you to make friends with, 'kay?"

"Okay." The girl nodded.

"Oh, and what's your name?"

"Tabitha." She answered.

"Okay, Tabitha. How about you take a look around the house while a get your room set up?"

"Okay." Tabitha nodded.

"I'll go get her bags." The man said.

"Oh, Jason, could you be a dear and check the mailbox for me?" Mrs. Minnie said before she headed upstairs.

"Alright." Jason responded before heading back outside.

That left Tabitha to look around. She stood in the sort of living area of the house. Some couches as well as a toy box were there as well as a TV.

"Hi." Tabitha heard. She looked to see a girl with stringy black hair pulled into a ponytail, cluttered with hairpins. In her hands, she held a dusty basketball.

"Hi." Tabitha said back.

Vanellope approached her. "You….like basketball?"

Tabitha shrugged. "I've never played."

"Oh." Vanellope looked down. She was still the only one at this house who liked basketball.

"What's your name?" Tabitha asked.

"Vanellope." She answered.

Tabitha chuckled. "That's a funny name."

"So is 'Tabitha'." Vanellope countered.

"Yeah, I know." Tabitha rolled her eyes.

Jason reentered the house, carrying two pink luggage bags. Mrs. Minnie returned just then as well. "Follow me, Tabitha, to your new room!"

"Bye, Penelope." Tabitha said as she followed Mrs. Minnie.

"It's Vanellope." She corrected.

"Sorry." Tabitha said, smiling before heading up the stairs, Jason carrying her bags up for her.

* * *

"Oh, you almost got it!" Vanellope said as she retrieved the basketball. Today had much better weather than the day before, so Vanellope thought it would be a good idea to maybe teach Tabitha a little basketball.

"It's too high." The blond-haired girl complained, looking up at the basket.

"Just give it a little more 'umf'." She coached and handed her the ball.

Tabitha flung the ball towards the hoop again. It bounced off the front of the rim.

"You'll get it." Vanellope promised.

"What's the point in this game anyway?" Tabitha asked.

"Keep trying." Vanellope handed her the ball.

"Ugh." Tabitha shook her head. She looked up at the basket and readied her shot. She threw it as hard as she could, and after bouncing off the rim a couple times, the ball fell through the hoop.

"There you go!" Vanellope exclaimed.

"I….made it." Tabitha grinned.

Vanellope raised her hand and gave Tabitha a high-five. She then gave her the ball. "Do it again!"

"Ugh." Tabitha complained.

Just then, a black luxury car pulled up to the home. Before anyone got out if the car, Mrs. Minnie came out if the home to greet whoever it was.

From the driver's side door stepped a tall, dark-complected man. He was dressed in a black jacket and jeans. From the passenger's side, a lady with caramel hair stepped out, dressed in a black work dress and jacket.

"You must be Lucas and Sofia." Mrs. Minnie said, shaking Lucas' hand. "What was the last name again?"

"Muttonfudge." Sofia said, coming around the car and shaking hands with Mrs. Minnie.

"I'll try to remember that." Mrs. Minnie promised. "Muttonfudge….Muttonfudge…." She attempted to get it in her head.

Sofia chuckled. "Look over there." She held her husband's shoulder and pointed.

The three adults turned to see Tabitha throwing a basketball at the hoop. After it fell through, Tabitha hopped up and down. "Three-in-a-row! Woo!" She high-fived Vanellope, who was grinning wildly.

"Isn't she adorable?" Sofia asked. Lucas gave a low chuckle and nodded, smiling slightly.

"The one with light hair is Tabitha, and the one with the dark hair is Vanellope." Mrs. Minnie explained.

Vanellope and Tabitha stopped what they were doing and looked over. They saw Mrs. Minnie standing with a couple. The two strangers were smiling at them, apparently enjoying their basketball game.

"You girls just keep playing!" Mrs. Minnie waved at them.

Vanellope and Tabitha glanced at each other, then decided to go back to playing, although glancing occasionally at Mrs. Minnie and the other two.

"If you'd like, you could come inside, we could sit down and discuss your wishes for adoption, clear your eligibility, et cetera." Mrs. Minnie told the Muttonfudges.

The couple nodded to each other, and they headed inside the foster home.

* * *

"Vanellope is nine years old. She's been here since she was just a few months old." Mrs. Minnie told Sofia and Lucas, who sat across from her. They sat in the living area, sitting on the cloth furniture. "Her parents had substance abuse problems, so she was placed in the care of the foster home. Therefore, she never really new her parents."

"Oh, that's awful." Sofia admitted.

"It was for the better, though." Mrs. Minnie said. "Her biological mother has since passed because of an overdose, and her biological father is serving fifty years in prison for various offenses. She's in much better hands now. She's a nice girl who loves to play. She does have dyslexia and minor ADHD, so she has some education troubles occasionally, but I know she's intelligent, and she's passing all her classes. But the things she loves most are basketball and art. Oh, you should see the things she can do with a pencil and paper."

"And what about the blond one?" Sofia asked. She glanced at Lucas. "She's adorable, right?!"

"Sure." Lucas nodded. "To be honest, I don't care if our daughter is adorable or not." He looked at Mrs. Minnie. "Just want a daughter."

"So you've already discussed, and you wish to adopt a girl, right?" Mrs. Minnie asked.

Lucas and Sofia nodded.

"Well, good. Anyway, the blond haired girl is named Tabitha. She's nine. She actually arrived here just yesterday from the Cottonwood home across town, so I can only tell you what my nephew, Jason, who runs Cottonwood, told me about her."

Sofia and Lucas nodded, giving their attention.

"One thing Jason made obvious was she is an angel. Jason had been taking care of her for four years, and he said she never even once threw a tantrum or acted up."

"Wow." Sofia chuckled. "Sounds like an angel. No tantrums; that's a big plus."

Mrs. Minnie grinned. "She's not perfect, you know. No child is perfect." The foster parent cleared her throat. "The story with her and her biological parents is a bit worse than that of Vanellope's."

"How so?" Lucas asked.

"I'm sure you may remember, four years ago, the OKC airport…." Mrs. Minnie felt she needn't say more.

"Oh, no." Sofia put her hand over her mouth. "And her parents…."

Mrs. Minnie nodded. "Little Tabitha was five. She's deathly afraid of heights, airplanes, airports, any of the sort, because of that incident."

"But….we have to air travel all the time." Sofia realized. "I have meetings in Boston, sometimes other cities, that I have to fly to, and Lucas is in the NFL, so he's flying all over the country."

"Oh, dear." Mrs. Minnie rubbed her chin. "She is improving, though. She goes to therapy to help her fears, to help her realize what happened at OKC was extremely unusual. She used to have PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, but now, she's really improved. She only has infrequent bouts of depression, but overall, I think the tragedy from when she was five really put things into perspective for her. Now when she meets someone, although she may be shy at first, she easily falls in love with anyone. Just last night, she was having trouble sleeping because she missed Jason, the sweetheart."

"Is she into sports?" Lucas asked hopefully.

"She says she likes tennis. Heck, she's already planning to play tennis at Kansas University!" Mrs. Minnie chuckled.

"Big dreams, huh? I don't know much about tennis, though." Lucas shook his head. "Too finesse for me, haha."

"Who do you play for, again?" Mrs. Minnie asked.

"Atlanta." Lucas answered. "Which is one of our concerns."

"I'm currently stationed in Oklahoma City." Sofia explained. "I'm an engineer for Q-trom, so I have to stay working in OKC until I'm transferred. And, of course, Lucas is in Atlanta during football season, so…."

"Whoever you adopt will be on their own sometimes." Mrs. Minnie nodded. "I understand. Just when you do have time with her, take advantage of it."

"Right." Sofia nodded. "So….can we meet Tabitha?"

* * *

"Are they gonna adopt me?!" Tabitha asked Mrs. Minnie hopefully.

Tabitha sat next to Mrs. Minnie on a couch. "They said they wanted to discuss it, but they'll be back in a moment. I do think they like you, though."

"Sofia is so pretty." Tabitha grinned.

"She said the same about you." Mrs. Minnie smiled.

Tabitha's cheeks perked when she grinned. She kicked her feet against the cushions. "I what them to be my mommy and daddy."

Mrs. Minnie sighed and smiled. She gave the hopeful girl a pat on the shoulder. "It's not final yet, but it's good that you think that."

"Do you think they'll adopt me?" Tabitha asked.

"Sweetie, I honestly hope so."

That's when Sofia and Lucas returned from a nearby room where they had talked it over. Sofia was grinning excitedly. "We've decided." She said.

"And?" Mrs. Minnie asked, standing to her feet, Tabitha following suit.

Sofia looked at Lucas and squealed slightly. "We want to adopt Tabitha."

Tabitha exploded into a mess of squeals and giggled as she hopped over to the couple, wrapping her arms around Sofia's waist. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you!"

Sofia sniffed, willing herself not to cry. She patted Tabitha's blond head gently. "You're welcome, honey bear."

Oh, how their lives changed that day.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning was rather….awkward. Very awkward, actually. Vanellope didn't really want to talk about the happenings that had occurred the night before, not to mention she did not sleep well the night before anyway, so talking just wasn't possible that morning.

After throwing on a black hoodie, jeans and a pair or red Converse, Ralph drove Vanellope to school that Friday morning. Not a word was spoken from either of them. That is, until Ralph pulled up in front of the school building. "Love ya." He said as Vanellope got out of his truck.

Vanellope only nodded, not even looking at her adopted father as she shut the passenger side door and trudged towards the front door.

Ralph sighed as he watched her enter the school. He did feel bad for her. He certainly remembered his first love. Now that was a train wreck if there ever was one. He tried to clear his head as he pulled away from Carson High School. He had to have integrity, he reminded himself. He couldn't dish out a punishment and just take it back the next day. Vanellope would need to learn that even though she might be in love with Taffyta, she still had to obey her father.

* * *

Vanellope failed to find Taffyta before she had to go to her first class, which really bothered her. She knew the only time she was allowed to be with Taffyta was at school, so she wanted to use her time at school wisely.

Man, why did she have to waste it on learning?!

She paid no attention to her teachers through her first two classes. She was exhausted and was expending even more energy trying to stay awake. She noticed people looking at her like she was a zombie, others chuckling and joking "I know how you feel" when they'd see how sleepy she looked.

'No, you don't know how I feel,' she wanted to tell them. 'You don't have the slightest idea.'

Activity period came, and Vanellope made another attempt at searching for Taffyta. She checked the tennis courts, the cafeteria, but she still couldn't find her. Activity period lasted only a few more minutes, so Vanellope reluctantly gave up and started for her next class. Maybe she'd find her at lunch.

* * *

She did not find her at lunch, so she finally tried one more time to find her, and that was go to the tennis courts during Taffyta's tennis period.

She sat on the metal bleachers near the tennis courts and waited for the tennis team to emerge from their locker room. If this didn't work, she'd probably give the whole thing up.

She waited, and waited, and….nothing. The tennis team was probably doing something inside the school building that Vanellope wouldn't be allowed to see, since the gyms and athletic hallways were usually closed to non-athletic students.

Vanellope decided to go back to study hall. There was nothing else for her to do. No Taffyta, no point. She'd simply suffer through the rest of the day.

* * *

School ended and Vanellope exited the building. Today had been certifiably the worst day ever. Well, there had been worse, but today was at least one of the worst. Going all day without knowing Taffyta's whereabouts was torturous, but she figured if she was grounded from spending time with her, so be it, even if it meant no time with her at all. She just wanted for her grounding to expire soon.

Vanellope didn't see Ralph anywhere, so she started wandering around aimlessly. She watched as dozens of other students went on their ways, either to their rides or their after-school activities. They all seemed to be having a better day than her, at least Vanellope thought so.

Her pointless wandering led her to the tennis courts, which just served as a self-inflicted emotional slap in the face for Vanellope. No one was there practicing.

Vanellope leaned against the chain link fence surrounding the courts. She flipped her hood over her head and shoved her hands in her hoodie's pocket. She didn't want anyone to look at her while she wallowed in her sorrows.

Vanellope thought to herself how she was being overly dramatic. She'd see Taffyta on Monday. Plus, Ralph never said Minty and Citrusella were off limits. She could hang out with them over the weekend.

Vanellope realized she had totally ditched her friends during activity period and lunch because if her futile search for Taffyta. That just made her feel worse.

As if on cue, Vanellope heard a vehicle pull up on the road in front of her. Vanellope peeked out from her hood to see a red Chevrolet Camero. From the passenger side emerged a seemingly concerned Citrusella. The girl wore her blue hair in a ponytail. She was clad in blue Chuck Taylor's, a dark blue plaid skirt, chain belt, and a black "Bow Ties Are Cool" T-shirt; her usual happy-gothic style.

Vanellope's gut tightened like a giant hand was crushing her. She did not feel like explaining to Citrusella why she looked so depressed, or why she didn't hang with her and Minty that day. But Vanellope figured she owed her, in a way. She should have already told her and Minty about her relationship with Taffyta anyway. She didn't want to tell her right now, though.

"Vanny?" Citrusella asked in her a timid voice. "Do you….need a ride?"

I shook my head, pulling my hood back. "I'm good." I said lowly.

"Whoa." Citrusella's expression became even more concerned. "You look exhausted."

"I am." Vanellope nodded. "That's all. I'm just tired. That's it." Vanellope tried to convince her.

"Okay." Citrusella looked away for a moment, fiddling with her many wristbands. "You sure you don't need a ride?" She asked again.

"I'm fine." Vanellope said again.

"Okay." Citrusella looked Vanellope in the eyes, only to see Vanellope immediately look away. She wanted to ask what was really wrong, but she knew personally how it felt to not want to talk about something. But she also knew talking helped.

"Just…." Citrusella hesitated. "Just….text me if you want to talk about what's wrong." She looked at Vanellope for a couple more seconds before returning to her sister's sports car.

Vanellope watched as the Camero pulled away. Vanellope felt like kicking something, but she was too tired. Citrusella was such a fricking awesome friend to be all up front and being concerned for her, and Vanellope just acted like nothing was wrong, but Citrusella knew better and wanted to help. There was no way Vanellope was texting her, though, and that made her feel awful.

She watched as a bus drove past her, and just then, her phone vibrated. She pulled it from her pocket and read a text from Ralph. It read "My truck isn't starting. I'll be a bit late picking you up. Sorry."

Vanellope sighed, although she wasn't ready to come face-to-face with Ralph again just yet. A combination if guilt, depression, AND awkwardness would be unbearable.

Vanellope was just about to text a response when she heard something. A laugh; a very familiar laugh. She turned to where the bus that had just passed her was idled, and….lo and behold, it was Taffyta! She was exiting the yellow bus, apparently laughing at something Candela Crawford had said to her, who was walking beside her as the tennis team exited the bus.

She must have been at a tennis tournament all day. Man, it would have been nice to have known that in advance. Vanellope was glad to actually find her, though. Finally.

Vanellope literally ran after her secret girlfriend, not minding the SUV that had to slam on its brakes and honk at her to avoid running her over. Just before Taffyta entered the school building, Vanellope tapped her shoulder.

Taffyta looked back and grinned. "Vanny!" It took all of her willpower not to jump and hug her at that moment. That would have been a bit too much of an affectionate display among the many students still loitering around.

Vanellope, as sly as she usually was, put her arm around Taffyta's shoulders in a notably friendly way, friendly enough for no suspicions to be raised. (It was remarkable that her mood had improved so much so quickly). "You didn't tell me you had a tennis thing today." Vanellope said with a smile, although she would rather have had yelled angrily at her, not necessarily because she was mad at Taffyta, but because she was just so stressed out.

"I meant to, really." Taffyta promised. "I should have texted you. Sorry."

"It's fine." Vanellope waved her hand.

"Vanellope, right?" Vanellope suddenly heard Candela Crawford speak.

Vanellope looked at the girl standing on Taffyta's other side. "Yeah. Candela, right?"

The girl nodded. "You said 'Your dad'. When did you get adopted?"

"Last year." Vanellope answered. Wow. Vanellope didn't expect Candela to remember she was an orphan. Heck, she hadn't spoken to her since she was an orphan.

"That's great." Candela nodded.

They'd reached the athletic hallway by then. Candela headed to the locker room while Taffyta hung back with Vanellope for a moment. "Let me change first, then we can talk, okay?"

"Change?" Vanellope's suddenly improved mood made her feel like joking. "But you look so hot in your tennis outfit."

Taffyta's tennis uniform consisted of a white tank top and skirt. Taffyta rolled her eyes and grabbed Vanellope's hood, flipping it over her head. "And your baggy sweatshirt is so sexy." She yanked on Vanellope's drawstrings, closing the hood over Vanellope's face.

Vanellope laughed as she pulled her hood off to see Taffyta walking away. Vanellope may have been joking, but….Taffyta's skirt was pretty flattering.

A few minutes later, Vanellope saw Taffyta returning from the locker room. She'd changed into a green "Cavs Football" T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. "Oh, right." Vanellope said as Taffyta neared. "Football game tonight, huh?"

"Yeah." Taffyta nodded. "I have to go get things ready down at the practice field."

"I'll come with you." Vanellope told her. She held her phone up. "Ralph texted me saying his truck isn't starting. Honestly, I hope it never does."

"Ha, okay."

Vanellope followed Taffyta to the practice football field. Seeing the storage building reminded Taffyta of her situation with Rancis.

She had to tell Vanellope.

Was now the best time? She had only one more hour before Vanellope would have to go home. Should she tell her about what Rancis was doing, and then go two days without seeing her?

Then she remembered, Rancis was starting the football game that day. The risk if him breaking her secret was low, so maybe Taffyta should just wait until the situation became more dire.

Then again, she didn't want to go any longer without Vanellope knowing. She needed to know about it.

Taffyta entered the storage building, with Vanellope following her in. The place was filled with athletic equipment, from soccer goals to pole vault pads.

Taffyta walked over to a bag of about a dozen footballs. She grabbed the tied end and began dragging them to the door.

Vanellope chuckled. "Too heavy to lift or something?"

"No. I just don't feel like picking them up. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted." Taffyta admitted.

"I am, too." Vanellope nodded. It was good to know Taffyta had had trouble sleeping last night, too.

They got outside, and Taffyta made her way to the field house. "Hey." Taffyta bit her lip. "I, uh, want to tell you something."

"What?" Vanellope asked.

Taffyta struggled to find the words to say. She was beginning to have second thoughts. "I….After the game, I'll text you, okay."

Vanellope looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "Okay." Fair enough for both of them to not want to talk about stuff. Vanellope honestly was just glad to be around Taffyta.

Many football players could be seen entering the field house. They were probably gearing up for a pre-game practice. Vanellope followed Taffyta inside. The hallway walls were painted with a bunch of different years commemorating Carson High's many achievements in athletics. Under one particular column titled "Football State Championship" was the year "1995", the only state championship Carson High's football team had ever won. Coach Jake Collins had been a linebacker on that championship team. Know he was trying to coach that same team back to the state championship.

The field house had multiple locker rooms. "Girls' Field Hockey" and "Boys' Track and Field" were printed on signs outside just a few of the rooms. Near the end of the hall was a door with a sign reading "Varsity Football".

"So where are you taking these footballs?" Vanellope asked Taffyta. "To the football locker room?"

"Oh, sweet cheeses, no!" Taffyta chuckled. "I'm just dropping these by Coach Collins' office. These balls are used for games only." Taffyta shook her head. "I would never set foot in that locker room."

Vanellope chuckled. "It'd be kinda different from that girls' tennis locker room, huh?"

"Very different." Taffyta agreed. "Would probably smell a lot worse." Taffyta walked past the locker room door and sat the bag of footballs outside Coach Collins' office.

Vanellope's phone vibrated. She checked the text from Ralph: "Truck's running. Be there soon."

"Ralph's headed here." Vanellope told Taffyta apprehensively.

"Oh." Taffyta felt her heart sink a little.

Vanellope looked around. She looked down the hall that branched off just past Coach Collin's office. She waved for Taffyta to follow.

"Where we going?" Taffyta asked.

Taffyta followed Vanellope down until they reached an indented portion of the hallway, out of sight. Once there, Vanellope grabbed Taffyta's hands. "The entire weekend apart. I think we should have a little moment before then."

Taffyta smiled. "Yeah, I think we should, too."

Vanellope offered a lopsided smile. She let go of Taffyta's hands and placed her own hands on Taffyta's shoulders. In return, Taffyta reached for Vanellope's waist.

The kiss wasn't any more different than their previous kisses. It was obvious they were getting better at it, though. This was, what, kiss number four? Not that Vanellope was keeping count or anything.

Once the kiss ended, Vanellope and Taffyta walked back towards Coach Collins' office. "Bye." Taffyta said to her girlfriend.

"See ya." Vanellope waved as she continued on when Taffyta stopped next to the office. She kept on for a few more steps before turning to say one more thing. "Text me after the game."

Taffyta nodded and gave a thumbs up.

Vanellope began walking again when she suddenly collided with someone. The surprise encounter sent Vanellope stumbling back a few steps.

"Whoa, sorry." She heard the person say.

Vanellope looked up and recognized the person to be Rancis. Seeing the varsity quarterback brought back memories of the time Taffyta had tripped this boy on the mall, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Vanellope did her best not to chuckle at the memory when she said. "My fault, sorry." She looked back at Taffyta and shrugged and waved at her. She didn't acknowledge the sudden loss of color in Taffyta's face and Vanellope went on her way.

Rancis had apparently noticed Vanellope's little wave directed towards Taffyta. As he approached the locker room door, he glanced at Taffyta, then glanced back in time to see Vanellope exit the building. "Hmm." He hummed as he offered one last quick look towards Taffyta before entering the locker room.

Taffyta groaned and slammed her back against the concrete wall. Taffyta could translate that little "hmm" from Rancis to mean he had some sudden suspicions about Vanellope. Either that or he was just messing with her for the heck of it. Still, that small encounter with Rancis made Taffyta want to hit her head against that concrete wall over and over.

It's okay, she reminded herself. Rancis has what he wants. He's starting tonight's game. I shouldn't worry about anything.

Easier thought than done, though. Taffyta just had to hope everything tonight would go smoothly. The Cavaliers would win; Rancis would be in a good mood. Taffyta could go home without any trouble with him, text Vanellope, then probably sleep until noon the next day. Everything would work out just fine without a hitch….

Oh, who was Taffyta kidding? No part of her life had ever been easy. Why would tonight be any different?


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Like Taffyta had hoped, the Cavaliers would win, Rancis would be happy, Taffyta could go home, and everything would be all "sunshine and lollipops".

Too bad the Cavaliers weren't winning, Rancis was not in a happy mood, and Taffyta was a nervous wreck. Everything seemed to be "rainy skies and Brussels sprouts" rather than "sunshine and lollipops" at the moment.

It was the fourth quarter. The score was Carson High: 20, Prescott High: 20. Four minutes remained on the clock. Good thing the Cavaliers had the ball. A good drive here could result in points and a lead for Carson High.

Too bad Rancis wasn't exactly on top of his game tonight.

He'd already thrown two interceptions. Twice he'd squandered golden opportunities to score, thus giving the Prescott Golden Eagles their own chances to score. Now he seemed even more shaky. On the first play, he'd thrown the ball right by his receiver, despite his target being only a few yards away. On second down, he'd accidentally thrown the ball right to a Prescott defender. Thank goodness he'd dropped the ball. Now it was third down. They were too far away from the goal to try kicking a 3-point field goal, so they would either have to try to gain ten yards to get a first down, or settle with punting the ball away, thus giving Prescott the ball back.

Rancis held his hands up, ready to catch the ball from the center, trying to concentrate the best he could in this downpour courtesy of a sudden thunderstorm. He looked around at the defense, struggling to figure out what they would try to do. He was usually a lot better at reading defenses and their intensions. Tonight was different, though. It was as if something was bothering him, like his conscience was tugging away at his focus.

He shook his head. He looked back to in front of him, where the center lineman was bent over, clutching the football on the ground, listening for Rancis' signal to hike the ball.

"Go!" Rancis yelled. The center threw the back to Rancis. Some of the defenders came running towards Rancis' blockers while the rest dropped back to defend Rancis' receivers.

No one was open. Rancis felt absolutely lost.

"Left!" He heard a warning yell from one of his blockers. He turned to see a Prescott lineman barreling towards him. Big, muscular, scary looking….this guy would have any quarterback shaking in his cleats.

Rancis knew he had to do something. He had about two seconds before getting pancaked, so he quickly located a teammate and threw the ball in his direction.

Rancis didn't get to see whether or not his teammate had caught the ball, for as soon as he'd thrown it, "Mr. One of Everything" flattened him. The defensive lineman drove his shoulder pad right into the area of Rancis' ribcage that wasn't protected by padding. And boy, did it hurt like a mother!

Rancis lied on the ground, dazed for a moment before noticing his teammates running….the other way? Rancis struggled to his knees in time to see every quarterback's nightmare: a defensive back, with the football in his hands, running towards the end zone.

"Touchdown Golden Eagles." Came the melancholy voice of Cavs Field's announcer. The Carson High fans groaned in displeasure.

The Devil's Trifecta; three interceptions thrown by Rancis Fluggerbutter. This was definitely one of his worst games ever.

Rancis groaned as he picked himself up from the turf and gingerly made his way over to his team's sideline. He reached the huddle only to hear Coach Collins say "Take a break, kid." He gestured towards the bench.

"What?" Rancis asked.

"It's time to let Orange get some playing time. After that hit you took, I think it's time for you to rest."

"B-but coach!" Rancis felt a little revitalization, wishing to continue playing despite his ribs aching.

Coach Collins shook his head. "Sit, Flugger." And with that, the coach turned to address the rest if his team.

Rancis felt delated, literally. After everything he'd gone through to be this team's quarterback, he was now sitting on the sidelines while Cali-Boy led the team for the remainder of the game.

Thanks to Prescott's kicker missing the extra point after their touchdown, Prescott was leading Carson 26-20. Three minutes remained on the clock. Carson High had the ball. A touchdown would win the game.

What a difference a simple substitution at quarterback made.

Despite the little time left on the clock, Gloyd Orangeboar ran the offense perfectly. He completed every pass, made no mistakes. In just a few plays, the Cavaliers offense marched down the field until they were only twelve yards away from the end zone. Fifteen seconds remained on the clock. It was now or never.

Gloyd Orangeboar caught the snap and dropped back to pass the ball. Every time a Prescott defender broke through Gloyd's blockers, Gloyd would swiftly avoid them, thus staying on his feet. He saw the clock on the scoreboard hit zero. It all came down to this moment.

His receivers were having no luck at getting open for Gloyd to throw a safe pass. He was running out of time and options. He had to go to his last resort.

He gave up on throwing the ball and instead tucked it and began to run. It took the Prescott defense a moment to realize what was happening, which was just enough time for Gloyd to gain enough momentum toward the corner of the end zone. A defender who had been guarding a receiver began to run right at Gloyd.

With just a few steps away from scoring, Gloyd left his feet, diving toward the pylon at the very corner of the goal. The Prescott defender also dove to try and knock Gloyd back and prevent him from scoring.

Gloyd extended the ball toward the orange pylon. Just as he thought he would get it across the line, the defender collided with him, sending Gloyd tumbling out of bounds.

Gloyd looked back and saw the pylon lying on the ground. He still had his arm extended, the ball still in his hand, resting barely in bounds. The referee standing nearby blew his whistle and threw his hands up.

"Touchdown Cavs!" The Carson High supporters erupted in cheers as six more points were added to the score. 26 all. The extra point would win the game.

Many of Gloyd's teammates came over to him, helped him up, and began to celebrate. He received plenty of slaps on the helmet as he made his way back to the sideline.

Everyone watched on as Carson High's kicking squad took the field. Their kicker was also captain of the soccer team, so it was no surprise that he swiftly booted the ball through the uprights.

Carson High won, 27-26. Gloyd got dunked with the contents of the team's water jug from behind for winning the game for the Cavaliers. Gloyd Orangeboar, the Comeback King, The Champ, had won the game for Carson High.

And Rancis was not happy.

* * *

Taffyta was just finishing gathering all the supplies up before they'd be shipped back to Carson High. She was just little ways down the hall from the Cavaliers locker room. She'd been hearing a lot of celebratory whooping and hollering. Personally, Taffyta was just glad the game was over. Sure, it had been an exciting game to have watched, but it was also exhausting to watch. Taffyta was looking forward to becoming "one with the mattress" when she'd get home.

Soon, the football team began to empty out from the locker room. A few players came over to help carry some equipment for Taffyta like they were supposed to. (Of course Taffyta couldn't carry the footballs, water coolers, and medical kits all by herself). They got to the buses, and a short drive brought Taffyta and the football team back to Carson High School.

While the football players put away their things in the field house, Taffyta took the game equipment back to the storage building. Thankfully, the rain had stopped shortly after the game ended. Of course, Taffyta was still pretty wet. She had been more concerned with the football game than finding a way to stay dry.

After stacking the water coolers and storing away the game footballs, Taffyta turned to leave the storage building, only to meet a very peeved Rancis Fluggerbutter waiting at the door.

"Rancis, please," Taffyta begged when she saw him, sighing. "I just want to go home."

"Listen." He said sternly. "I'll be clear and concise with you. Next Friday, we go to Jefferson City to play Jefferson High. You better find a way to get me the starting spot, got it?"

Taffyta groaned. "Rancis, Gloyd is a year older than you, he's more experienced, and more skilled than you. He'll eventually graduate, and you'll be starter again, okay?"

Suddenly, Rancis slammed his fist against the tin siding of the storage building, causing Taffyta to jump. "I'm not waiting for Gloyd Orange-crap to graduate!" He yelled. "This is my damn team, not his! If you want your secret to stay a secret, you'll wise up, got it?!"

"Quit it, Rancis." Taffyta warned, although she felt herself shaking.

"If he starts next Friday's game, you will pay the price, okay?!"

"Listen to yourself! You're despicable!" Taffyta retorted. "You're threatening me over some dumb game! Just accept you're not the best player ever!"

"Say whatever you want. You're not getting out of this!" Rancis warned.

"Do you really think announcing to the world that I'm gay will fix anything for you? If I were to announce that myself, you'd have nothing to hold over me…." If only Taffyta had thought of that sooner.

Rancis shook his head. "You wouldn't. You're too scared. You know you'll get harassed and teased, right?"

"I'll have support, too. Not everyone will make fun of me. Only people like you will."

"Support, huh? Like that girl that bumped into me earlier today? She a friend of yours?"

"Leave her out of this." Taffyta's voice dropped to a more threatening tone. Rancis was not going to cross that line.

"Oh, okay, I see." He smirked and nodded. "You're not scared of the bullying, but what about her? Would you dare do that to your sweetheart?"

"I said leave her out of this, Rancis." Taffyta repeated, glaring death lasers at him.

"What's her name, huh?" He asked.

"Why would you want to know?" Taffyta asked.

"So maybe I could break her secret instead. Forget yours. I bet you'd do anything to keep her safe. Anything!"

"I swear, Rancis…." Taffyta clenched her fists.

"What, you wanna fight me or something?" He chuckled, rubbing his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I don't hit girls. I think you're the one who's more into that, right?"

**_Thunk! _**Taffyta hit her tipping point, sending her right fist straight into Rancis' jaw. Rancis stumbled back a few steps, his hand going straight to his face.

He looked at Taffyta, in shock of what she had just done. He then felt himself grin. "Aggressive much? I guess dykes are like that, huh?"

Suddenly, someone came up from behind Rancis, grabbed his shoulders, and threw him to the ground with a thud. Rancis waited a moment to get his bearings back, then looked up. "Who the hell—" his speech caught when he saw Gloyd Orangeboar standing over him, arms crossed, glaring down at his teammate.

Rancis slowly made his way to his feet, keeping a watchful eye on Gloyd. He glanced over at Taffyta, who seemed surprised by what had just happened.

"What do you want?" Rancis asked of Gloyd.

"I want you to leave her alone." Gloyd stated.

"Oh, since when did you become her bodyguard?" Rancis asked. "This is none of your business."

"It is now." Gloyd glanced back at Taffyta, giving a slight nod towards her. Taffyta still seemed shocked by his sudden appearance.

"Quit playing Superman, Orange-piss!" Rancis yelled. "You're already the hero everyone loves. Go home."

"How 'bout you go home?" Gloyd retorted.

"Oh, I'm so scared. Please, do try sneaking up behind me and throwing me down like a coward again. That'll show me."

In the blink of an eye, Rancis was on the ground again after a perfectly executed body throw. Gloyd looked down at him. "Go home, kid."

Rancis immediately got back to his feet, ready to fight, but when he saw Gloyd's face, he instantly knew Gloyd wasn't in the fighting mood. He'd probably just break Rancis' neck and be on his way.

Rancis shook his head at his fellow quarterback. "This isn't your business." He then turned away and headed towards the student parking lot.

Gloyd then turned to look at Taffyta. "What's he been doing with you?"

"Th-thank you." Taffyta said absentmindedly before processing Gloyd's question. "Uh, how much did you hear?"

Gloyd sighed. "You're a lesbian."

Taffyta's breath hitched for a moment, but she nodded. "He's been using that against me to get me to write down fake stats for you and him so he could start today's game."

Gloyd shook his head. "Listen, I understand you want to keep that a secret, but….I think you should tell people that you're gay before Rancis does. You get me, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Taffyta scratched her head. "But….how would you know—"

"I have two dads." He said.

Taffyta froze. "Wh-wh…." Did he just tell her that, with, like, no hesitation at all? This chain of events was just getting crazier.

"They went through a lot in high school." Gloyd explained. "But they tell me it's better to let the world know who you are than to hide it."

"Are….are you…?" Taffyta began to ask.

Gloyd shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

Taffyta shook her head. "Why are you doing all of this? Helping me and giving me advice all of a sudden?"

"Well, I overheard you and Rancis. Your whole conflict with him is centered around you hiding who you are. I just wanted to help out."

Taffyta looked down for a moment. "Well, now that you know about me giving Coach fake stats, Rancis probably has no reason not to break my secret."

Gloyd nodded. "I'm sorry. I just….couldn't just stand by."

"I'm not blaming you! I'm thankful for your help. I just…." Taffyta sighed, rubbing her neck. "I always knew I'd have to eventually come out. I just didn't know it would be this soon."

"Who already knows?" Gloyd asked.

"You, my girlfriend…." Taffyta's heart faltered a little when she said "girlfriend" without any thought. "My parents. And Rancis. No one else knows."

"Well, I'll be around to help out if you need me. I know you don't really know me, but I just felt I needed to help."

"I think I know you now." Taffyta assured him. "And thank you." She offered a smile.

Gloyd smiled back and nodded. "Before you come out publicly, round up as much support as you can, okay?"

Taffyta nodded. "Okay."

Gloyd looked away for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, he said "I guess I'll be going home. Oh!" He held up a hand. He looked around until his eyes fell on the clipboard Taffyta used for taking stats. He flipped to a blank page, wrote something down, and handed the page to Taffyta. "My number, just in case."

Taffyta took the paper and stared at it for a moment, then back up at Gloyd.

"If you need me, I'm here to help, alright?" Gloyd said, then turned to leave.

"Wait!" Taffyta ran and grabbed his shoulder. "I think there's one more thing you can help me with."

"What is it?" Gloyd asked over his shoulder.

Taffyta came up beside him and began walking out of the storage building. "I'll tell you on the way."

* * *

It was almost eleven pm. Vanellope was in her bedroom, wearing a blue tank top and red basketball shorts, lying on her bed stomach-down as she played a new RPG she'd recently bought for her Xbox 360. Beside her sat her cell phone. She really was tired of playing video games at this point, but needed something to distract her while she waited for a text from Taffyta. She knew the football game was over. She'd watched the highlights on the news. (Boy, did she wish she had been there to see such an exciting game). Vanellope hoped Taffyta hadn't forgotten to text her.

Vanellope lied there, staring at her TV as her game hit a loading screen. Suddenly, the silence was broken by….the doorbell? Who would be visiting at eleven at night?

Vanellope listened as she heard Ralph answer the door. His voice was muffled through Vanellope's closed bedroom door, but judging by Ralph's voice, it apparently wasn't some prankster teenager or masked burglar at the door. Vanellope could have sworn she'd also heard Taffyta….

Vanellope immediately paused her game and almost tripped over her jeans she'd left on the floor as she hurried to the front door. She literally ran over beside her father and looked to see Taffyta standing on the porch, along with some other person that Vanellope didn't care about at the moment because Taffyta was here! But….why was she here?

Taffyta saw Vanellope. She smiled and waved at her.

"The hell you doin' here for?!" Vanellope responded.

Ralph looked down at her. "She says she has some important business to discuss with you, but she won't tell me what it is."

"This is Gloyd, by the way." Taffyta pointed to Mr. Muscles, who offered a quick wave.

"Wait, the Gloyd that was just on the news scoring the game winning touchdown for the Cavs?" Vanellope asked.

Gloyd nodded, rolling his eyes.

"Listen, Vanellope, something's been going on at football practice that I've been meaning to tell you about, and….I think now is the best time." Taffyta explained.

"What is it?" Vanellope asked. Then her eyebrows went up. She pointed at Gloyd. "Are you two—"

"No!" Taffyta shook her head, waving her hands. "It doesn't have anything to do with Gloyd!"

"Oh, okay, good." Vanellope rubbed her elbow, chuckling nervously.

"It has to do with…." Taffyta tried to find the best way to put it. "With me, and us."

Vanellope notched an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Taffyta sighed. "Gloyd knows I'm gay, and knows you're my girlfriend."

Vanellope choked on her own breath for a moment. "How does he know?!"

"Long story." Taffyta told her.

"Please do tell me this story." Vanellope nodded, wide eyed.

Taffyta looked up at Ralph. "Can I talk with her alone?"

Seeing how the situation Taffyta and Vanellope apparently were in seemed a little dire, Ralph nodded. He was kind of guilt ridden for splitting them in the first place anyway.

Vanellope led Taffyta and Gloyd back to her room, where Taffyta proceeded to tell Vanellope everything, from the fake stats to Rancis' threats, to Gloyd's involvement. She told Vanellope everything, and boy, was Taffyta glad to get that weight off her chest.

"So…." Vanellope said after Taffyta finished telling her what she needed to know. "You're basically saying Rancis deserves to be brutally murdered."

Taffyta nodded. "That's one thing I was saying, yes." Taffyta chuckled. "But my big point is….I think we should come out."

"Like….out of the closet?" Vanellope asked. "But I like the closet. It's cozy."

Taffyta shook her head. "It would look a lot better if we made our relationship public rather than Rancis doing it first. It would show people we're not afraid to let people know who we are."

"So….on Monday, we waltz into school wearing T-shirts that say 'homo' on them? Something like that?" Vanellope asked.

Taffyta shook her head. "This is serious, Vanellope."

"I'm not totally against the T-shirt idea. I'll buy them!"

Taffyta shook her head again. "Vanny, we're going to come out in a dignified manner. Gloyd is gonna be with us, and I think Minty and Citrusella should, too."

Yet another wave of guilt washed over Vanellope for still not telling her two best friends the truth. At least now, she had big time motivation. "I'll text them, see if they can come over." Vanellope grabbed her phone off her bed and texted Minty and Citrusella to come to her house if possible. She also made sure to include this being a very urgent situation.

"How do you think they'll react?" Taffyta asked Vanellope.

"They'll probably be really mad at me for not telling them sooner." Vanellope answered honestly. "I've always felt like I needed to tell them."

"How long have you two been together?" Gloyd asked them.

"Two weeks?" Vanellope looked to Taffyta for confirmation.

"Yeah, two weeks." Taffyta nodded.

"So not really that long." Gloyd confirmed.

"Best two weeks of my life, though." Vanellope told him.

Vanellope got texts back from Minty and Citrusella. Citrusella said "be there soon" while Minty's said "parents won't let me leave, so imma sneak out. Be there ASAP".

"They're on their way." Vanellope said.

After a short wait, Vanellope's friends had arrived at her house. Ralph seemed to get kind of concerned over why so many people were showing up to see Vanellope, but Vanellope promised him she'd explain later. Vanellope then led her friends back to her room.

"What's Gloyd Orangeboar doing here?" Citrusella asked.

"Dude, that touchdown! I was there!" Minty immediately high-fived Gloyd when she saw him. "But yeah, why's he here?" She asked Vanellope.

Vanellope sighed and glanced at Taffyta. "Guys, there's something I need to tell you." She then looked at Gloyd for a moment, then at her friends. "Something I should have told you a long time ago."

**((A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome! Chapter 15 coming soon!))**


	15. Chapter 15

**((Disclaimer: I am of no association with Twitter or any Twitter users or accounts. Any Twitter handles described in this story are a product of my imagination. Any similarity with any real Twitter aliases are coincidental.**

**Warning: Fluffiness ahead :P))**

Vanellope explained everything, from her relationship with Taffyta, to Taffyta's troubles with Rancis, even the part about wanting to come out publicly soon.

Minty and Citrusella were certifiably surprised that Vanellope's secret was what it was. That's when Minty smacked her palm to her forehead. "Now I feel like an idiot for asking you why you've never had a boyfriend."

"Sorry to make you feel like an idiot." Vanellope jokingly said to Minty insincerely.

"How long have you kept that from us?" Citrusella asked Vanellope.

Vanellope sighed. "I know, I know. I've always felt guilty about not telling you guys."

"Well, thanks for trusting us to tell us before you go and tell everybody." Citrusella said. "How do you plan on doing that, though?"

Vanellope and Taffyta looked at each other, silently asking each other the same question. "Didn't really think about that."

Someone's phone made a noise. Gloyd pulled his smart phone out and looked at the screen. "Uh oh." He murmured.

"What is it?" Taffyta asked.

"Rancis just just posted to Twitter." Gloyd explained in a low voice.

Taffyta felt her heart sink so low, she felt as if she couldn't breathe. She'd had nightmares about this happening, and now they were coming true.

"What did he post?" Vanellope asked cautiously, not bothering to ask why Gloyd got notifications on his phone when Rancis Tweeted.

Gloyd stared at his phone for a couple more seconds, then shook his head. "Just….see for your self." She extended his phone out to Vanellope, who gingerly took it from his hand and read what was on the screen:

"SuperstarRF3: Incase anyone cared, CHS freshman Taffyta Muttonfudge in a lesbian. Do with that what you will."

Vanellope sighed after she finished reading over Rancis' Tweet. She turned and handed Gloyd's smart phone over so the other three girl could read it.

"Rancis said he has over two thousand followers." Taffyta said, a certain emptiness in her voice. "That's almost the entire school."

Vanellope felt the instinctual urge to comfort Taffyta and immediately went over to hug her. "We'll be okay." She whispered in her ear. "You have me, and everyone else here, okay."

Taffyta felt like crying, but right now was still in a stage of mortified shock. She was slowly beginning to realize the fact that her most close kept secret was no longer a secret at all. Now everyone knew. Well, almost everyone. But her secret would spread like plague. Eventually, everyone at Carson High School would know she was gay….

And she'd have to go back to Carson High School in two days.

Vanellope began to draw away from Taffyta, making sure to look her in the eyes and nodding reassuringly to her in the process.

"Will you be okay?" Taffyta blurted to Vanellope, remembering her other reason for keeping the relationship secret. People were bound to figure Vanellope was her girlfriend. Heck, at this point, people would believe any girl Taffyta talked to would be her girlfriend.

"Of course I will." Vanellope grinned. "You think a little harassment's gonna bother me? I am who I am, and I ain't changing anything, no matter what people say." She took a moment to hand Gloyd's phone back to him.

"That's why you were so bummed out today at school!" Citrusella suddenly interceded.

"Huh?" Vanellope asked.

"Taffyta was gone all day, right? That's why you didn't hang out with us." Citrusella explained her epiphany.

"You were bummed out 'cause I wasn't around?" Taffyta asked Vanellope.

"I was a fricking wreck, especially after last night." Vanellope told her.

"Last night?" Minty asked.

"That's….not really important anymore." Vanellope waved her hand. "Bigger problems."

"I know what we should do." Gloyd suddenly said.

All eyes turned to Gloyd.

"Monday, you two," he pointed two fingers towards Vanellope and Taffyta. "Walk into school holding hands. Us three," he gestured around at himself, Minty, and Citrusella. "Will walk in with you."

"You'd do that?" Taffyta asked him.

Gloyd smiled. "Hey, besides….I'm basically a hero for winning that football game. Me being around you two when you get to school may get people to see past Rancis' little Tweet."

"And you guys?" Vanellope asked Minty and Citrusella.

"Well, hell yeah!" Minty nodded.

"I'll see if Jubileena will get on board with this, too." Citrusella added.

"Good." Vanellope nodded, then she looked at Taffyta. "In the long run, this'll be good for us."

Minty suddenly pulled her phone out. She laughed. "My parents just realized I'm not home. I'm probably gonna get murdered." Minty pocketed her phone. "I better get home quick, or they'll murder me twice."

"Thanks for coming, Minty." Vanellope called.

"I'll go, too." Citrusella said

"Okay." Vanellope nodded.

After a bit of a pause, Citrusella hugged Vanellope. "I'll be there for you two, no matter what, okay?"

"Thanks, Elly." Vanellope said back.

Citrusella gave Taffyta a quick hug before leaving.

Taffyta turned to look at Gloyd. "Thank you."

"No problem." He made his way to the door. "See you Monday morning."

Vanellope and Taffyta were now alone.

"You don't need to worry, okay, Taffy?" Vanellope encouraged.

"I'm gonna worry anyway." Taffyta chuckled. "I told you about my middle school."

"I don't think that'll happen at Carson. High school kids have a little bit more sense….a little."

"But still—" Taffyta started to say before being cut off by a sudden kiss from Vanellope.

When their lips separated, Vanellope grinned. "Think about it this way. No matter what people say or how they treat you, you still got me, 'kay?" She kissed her nose. "And if I see anyone harassing you, I will mutilate them."

"How romantic." Taffyta commented.

Vanellope giggled. "You see, the difference between your middle school and high school, is now you have supportive friends and someone who loves you."

Taffyta choked on her breath for a moment. Did Vanellope just say what she thought she said?

"L-loves me?" Taffyta stuttered out, staring at Vanellope with wide owl-eyes.

Vanellope's expression stiffened. "Oh….no! I didn't—….I mean, it's not that I don't love, I mean, I do! Wait….no, I—I mean I kinda sorta love you, but—" Now it was Taffyta's turn to silence Vanellope with a kiss.

"Don't worry." Taffyta told her with a smile. "I kinda sorta love you, too."

* * *

Ralph ungrounded Vanellope after she explained everything that was going on (which took a while). All weekend, Vanellope and Taffyta spent as much time together as possible, whether by playing video games, hanging out with Minty and Citrusella, or just cuddling on the couch watching cartoon reruns. But no matter what they did or where they went, the weekend didn't last as long as they wanted it to. They knew at the point they'd walk into the school building Monday morning, well, it was all an unpredictable blob of possibilities from then on.

Sunday night, Vanellope stayed at Taffyta's house for the first time. On any other school night, Taffyta was usually in bed by around ten o'clock, but now it was almost midnight, and neither of the girls were even dressed for bed. Taffyta's mother hadn't even gotten home yet. "Late day at work" she'd texted to Taffyta.

They sat together on the leather couch in the living room. Vanellope was busy texting her friends, devising a plan for tomorrow morning—where to meet, when to meet, et cetera. Meanwhile, Taffyta had her head in Vanellope's lap, lying on her back, looking up at Vanellope. While Vanellope was busy texting, Taffyta had been thinking and imagining possible scenarios for tomorrow. Everyone in school could erupt in supportive cheers, they could be completely silent, the planet could explode….some of the scenarios Taffyta thought of were more likely than others.

Vanellope finished sorting things out with Citrusella, Minty, and Gloyd. (Taffyta had given the piece of paper with Gloyd's number to Vanellope). Citrusella had told her she tried convincing Jubileena to join, but she apparently had to be at school early tomorrow morning for theatre rehearsal. (Vanellope didn't know Jubileena was in theatre until now). Citrusella did make sure to explain that they had Jubileena's full support.

"Are you worried at all about tomorrow?" Taffyta asked her girlfriend.

"I'd be lying if I said 'no'." Vanellope admitted. She looked down at her and began lacing her fingers through Taffyta's hair. "But I'm also kind of excited, you know."

Taffyta shook her head. "I haven't felt very excited." She said. She exhaled through nose and stared at the ceiling. "I just hope nothing bad happens."

"Trust me, everything will be fine. Remember, you still got me, and Minty, and Elly, no matter what."

Taffyta nodded, still staring at the ceiling as if Vanellope's words of encouragement weren't very effective.

Vanellope huffed, leaned down, and kissed Taffyta's forehead. "Worrying about it won't help, you know. The future doesn't depend on how much you worry about it."

Taffyta smiled. "Is that a quote from some inspirational poster or something?"

"Hey, that quote was all me." Vanellope chuckled. "You get what I'm saying, though, right?"

"I get it. I'm still worried, though."

"Hey, just think about it this way." Vanellope held Taffyta's hand. "If anything happens, just tell me, and I'll buy you an ice cream and give you a big hug, okay sweetie?"

"Yeah, thanks." Taffyta huffed a laugh.

"What, don't like ice cream?" Vanellope asked.

Taffyta sat up and got to her feet. She held a hand out to Vanellope. "Let's just go to bed. The sooner we get to sleep, the sooner we can get this whole 'coming out' thing over with tomorrow."

Vanellope took her hand and got up. "Fine. One question, though." Vanellope said as they made their way to the staircase. "Once everyone knows we're a thing, does that give us the right to PDA?"

"Vanellope." Taffyta said. The tone of her voice seemed to silently tell her not to start.

"I'm serious! Every couple does it! I turn a corner in the hallway, and bam! Tongue tug-of-war, right in front of me!"

"Not every couple does that, just the ones with a total disregard for everyone else." Taffyta explained.

"That's us, right?" Vanellope asked.

They made their way up the stairs. "Vanny, I honestly don't think you and I kissing in the middle of a crowd would be a good idea."

"Why not?! How are other people gonna try to stop us?"

"I'm just saying it would be kinda uncomfortable." They reached Taffyta's bedroom. "If you wanna kiss during school, we can just go to a bathroom."

"Well, okay. That's a perk straight couples don't get, I guess."

"It's time to stop, Vanny." Taffyta told her.

"Stop what?" Vanellope went over to Taffyta's bed and lied down. "These are important concepts."

"'Important concepts', huh?" Taffyta chuckled, going over to her closet to get her nightclothes.

"Uh huh." Vanellope got back up and came over next to Taffyta. "Got any PJs for me?"

"Sure, pick some out." Taffyta told her, taking a pink shirt and white pants from a drawer. She then made her way towards the bathroom.

"Another 'important concept'." Vanellope said.

"What?" Taffyta stopped and asked.

"We've been dating now for over two weeks, right?"

"Yes."

"And yet, we still change clothes in separate rooms."

Taffyta rolled her eyes. "Vanny—"

"You get me, though, right?" Vanellope asked.

"You want me to change clothes in front of you. That's not pervy at all."

"What, you're gonna hold that against me?" Vanellope grinned and laughed.

Taffyta sighed and smiled. "No, I won't."

"Wouldn't you want me to change clothes with you? I mean, we're together! We'd….we'd be bonding!"

"'Bonding', huh?" Taffyta took a moment to think. "Eh, what the heck. The world ends tomorrow, so why not?"

"The world's not ending tomorrow." Vanellope told her.

"You don't know that." Taffyta shot back. "Just get some PJs."

"Can I wear this big shirt?" Vanellope asked, pulling from the closet a long green XXL shirt.

"Sure." Taffyta told her, tossing her PJs onto her bed.

Calling what followed to be "a little awkward" would be like calling the Pacific Ocean "a pond". A task such as changing clothes that usually took only a couple of minutes took much longer now.

Vanellope seemed more or less unaffected by the awkwardness, though. She changed from her T-shirt and jeans to the big nightshirt, all while keeping a close eye on Taffyta, who'd yet to even take off her shoes.

"There." Vanellope said. She then lied down on the bed belly-down, propped her chin on her arms, and looked up at Taffyta. "Now your turn."

"You're making this weirder than it needs to be." Taffyta advised her, still blushing a little from watching Vanellope undress herself.

"Thanks, I try." Vanellope closed her eyes and grinned.

"Hm." Taffyta grabbed her PJs from the bed. "Well, I'm not gonna look at you while I change." She turned away.

"Fine by me." Vanellope giggled.

"Weirdo." Taffyta shot over her shoulder, smirking.

"A weirdo? Me?! You don't say!" Vanellope joked.

Taffyta proceeded to change into her PJs. Meanwhile, Vanellope's playful smile turned to a more awed expression. You get to know someone so much, that their physical appearance kind of becomes less of a big deal to you. But now, Vanellope was given a sudden and emphatic reminder of just how beautiful Taffyta was.

Taffyta finished changing and turned back around to see Vanellope seemingly hypnotized. "Vanny." She called.

"Who?" Vanellope muttered absentmindedly.

"Vanellope." Taffyta said more sternly.

"Huh?" Vanellope shook her head and looked up at Taffyta's face.

Taffyta raised her eyebrows. "Ready for sleep?"

"Uh, yeah." Vanellope nodded, blushing with embarrassment for being so mesmerized. She got off the bed so Taffyta could pull back the covers.

"Did we bond?" Taffyta asked.

"What?" Vanellope asked back.

"You said changing clothes together would help us bond. Did we?"

"Uhh." She shrugged. "I suppose."

"Well, good. In fact, I do feel a little better now." She smirked at Vanellope. "I'm not as worried."

"Good." Vanellope nodded.

"Anything to say?" Taffyta asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You seemed pretty….interested in me changing clothes." Taffyta explained, giggling.

Vanellope sighed. "You're beautiful, Taffyta. Like I need to remind you of that."

"Thanks. You're not too bad yourself." Taffyta lied down in bed.

Vanellope lied down next to her. "I wouldn't mind it if you reminded me of how beautiful I am." Vanellope glanced at Taffyta.

"Oh….okay." Taffyta hummed a laugh. "I didn't know you cared."

"I may be a tomboy, but I'm still a girl, you know." Vanellope told her.

"Aww. I knew you had a little girly-ness in there." Taffyta kissed her cheek. "But seriously, you are beautiful, Vanny."

"Thanks, Taff." Vanellope reached down and pulled the covers over them.

Taffyta held her arm up, offering an arm around Vanellope's shoulders. "Here."

Vanellope felt a little out if her element, but she accepted Taffyta's offering. Vanellope was usually the one holding Taffyta in bed. With the roles reversed now….actually, Vanellope kind of liked it.

"Good night." Taffyta said.

"Good night." Vanellope said back.

"I kinda sorta love you." Taffyta told her, grinning down at her.

Vanellope chuckled. "I kinda sorta love you, too."


	16. Chapter 16

**((A/N: This chapter is a bit longer than usual, and it's also a pretty important chapter as well. It's getting close to the end, but I am considering a sequel. Hope you enjoy, and if you could leave a review, that would be great! Feedback always helps.))**

Monday morning, after getting dressed, Vanellope and Taffyta headed downstairs for breakfast. On the dining room table already sat a bowl of cereal. In the kitchen stood Sofia Muttonfudge, who was leaning against the counter, rubbing her eyes. She was still in her PJs

"Morning, mom." Taffyta greeted.

Sofia looked over and jumped a little when she saw Vanellope. "Vanellope! I didn't know you were over." She immediately grabbed a box if cereal. "If I had known, I would have made you breakfast."

"That's okay, mom. I'll make it." Taffyta came over and took the cereal from her mother. "You seem exhausted enough."

"Yeah." Sofia chuckled, rubbing her neck. "Late night if work. Project manager gave everyone today off."

"Well, you didn't have to still get up early just to pour me a bowl of cereal." Taffyta told her as she poured a bowl of cereal for Vanellope.

"I always do, though. Most of the time." Sofia admitted.

Taffyta chuckled. "Thanks, mom." She put away the milk and took the cereal over to the dining table. "Now go get some sleep."

"Okay, honey bear." Sofia nodded. She kissed Taffyta's cheek before heading back to her bedroom. "Good to see you, Vanellope." She said before turning down the hallway.

Taffyta sat down with Vanellope to eat breakfast. "She doesn't even know what we're gonna do today." Taffyta mentioned.

"I think we'll tell her about it after school." Vanellope said, taking a bite of cereal.

"I hope things go okay." Taffyta said, pushing her wheat flakes around the bowl with her spoon.

"Don't worry, okay?" Vanellope told her.

"They're all gonna stare. I don't like it when that many eyes are looking at me." Taffyta complained.

"Quit it, you're making me nervous." Vanellope chuckled.

Taffyta continued to play with her food while Vanellope finished off hers. "You gonna eat?" Vanellope asked.

Taffyta stood up. "I don't have my appetite right now." She admitted. "Let's just go."

Vanellope looked towards Taffyta's bowl, which was still pretty much full. "Okay, I guess." Vanellope stood.

They headed out to Taffyta's car and made their way to school. They'd agreed to meet Minty, Citrusella, and Gloyd at the front entrance at eight o'clock. It was about five-till when Taffyta parked her car.

The two girls stared out the windshield for a moment, watching students one-by-one dispensing from the parking lot, walking towards the building. They then looked at each other.

Vanellope smiled in an effort to encourage Taffyta, but she was honestly about as nervous as Taffyta. "We do this?"

Taffyta sighed, closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah."

Vanellope grinned and gave Taffyta a quick peck on the check before unbuckling and getting out of the car. Taffyta followed, looking around as she closed the driver's side door and locking her car. She was scanning around in case anyone might be staring at her.

She felt Vanellope grab her hand. "Come on, Taffy."

Taffyta looked at Vanellope, then sighed as they made their way towards the school building. They could see their friends waiting outside the front door.

Taffyta could audibly hear her heartbeat, knowing fully well that there was someone walking behind them, with a perfect view of her holding Vanellope's hand. She already felt judged.

Then she glanced at Vanellope, who was….smiling. It wasn't a humorous smile, nor her absentminded "smile for no reason" smile, but almost peaceful, like….she was just happy….in its purest form, happy.

Taffyta finally realized something. She was in love with Vanellope. This girl holding her hand, the girl with a nonexistent sense of fashion, the girl she'd met at a football game, the girl that had first kissed her on a mini golf course, the girl that….understood her.

The girl that kinda sorta loved her.

Who cares what they'll say, Taffyta thought to herself. Who cares if they stare? I certainly don't care. I'm not afraid. I'm not ashamed. I'm in love, and I'm glad I am. I wouldn't care if everyone hated me as long as Vanellope loves me.

Minty, Citrusella, and Gloyd were just a few feet away. "You girls ready?" Citrusella called.

"Yes." Taffyta nodded, glancing at Vanellope to see her still smiling that soft, sweet smile.

"You two lead the way." Gloyd said, gesturing towards the front entrance to the school. Gloyd was smirking, as if he knew something they didn't. In fact, Citrusella and Minty kept glancing at each other and smiling.

"You think we'll be good?" Vanellope asked.

"You'll be fine." Citrusella nodded.

"For sure." Minty added.

•••••••••••••••••••••

Of all the scenarios Taffyta had imagined occurring, "dozens of students breaking into applause" was not one of them.

When Taffyta and Vanellope stepped through the front door, they stopped in their tracks when all the students nearby clapped and cheered in support. Vanellope and Taffyta looked at each other with confusion. Although they were kind of pleased with the reaction they got, they needed an explanation.

"What's this about?" Taffyta looked back at Gloyd and asked.

"When Rancis sent out that tweet Friday night, well…."Gloyd chuckled. "It kinda backfired on him."

"People were calling Rancis a douche and vowing to support you!" Minty added. "It was the first time I'd ever been on Twitter, but it was worth it!"

"You'd be surprised how quickly word gets around on the Internet." Gloyd said.

Taffyta and Vanellope looked back at their supporters.

"I helped organize this." Gloyd mentioned. "Just so you know."

"How?" Vanellope asked.

"I'm surprised you hadn't heard about 'hashtag IHeartTaffyta' yet. It's kinda gone viral."

"'Hashtag IHeartTaffyta'?" Taffyta asked, feeling herself blush.

"Yeah! People from all over are using it! Thousands upon thousands of people know your story." Minty said.

"You're famous." Citrusella told her.

"I'm….famous?" Taffyta stuttered.

"Hey, congrats, Taffy!" Vanellope elbowed her. "So much for 'hashtag IHeartVanellope', huh?"

"What am I supposed to do?" Taffyta asked, laughing. "Now that I'm 'famous'."

"Just enjoy it. You don't have to worry about keeping your secret." Citrusella said.

The school bell rang, and the students began heading to their classes.

"See you at football, Taffyta." Gloyd said as he went on his way.

"Meet up during Activity Period, right?" Minty asked Vanellope.

"Definitely." She nodded.

Citrusella and Minty went on their way.

Vanellope looked at Taffyta and smiled. "Well, I guess since everyone knows now." She gave Taffyta a quick kiss on the lips.

Taffyta felt herself blush, looking around to see if anyone noticed the kiss. Sure enough, a few passersby noticed. They either nodded, smiled, or continued on without looking at her.

Taffyta felt Vanellope kiss her cheek. "You're still worrying. Stop it!" Vanellope chuckled before turning to go to class. "Bye, Taff."

"Bye, Vanny." Taffyta called back. She sighed before deciding to head to class. As she walked, some students gave her a thumbs-up or a wave, others just glanced as she walked by. Honestly, Taffyta was glad people knew who she was, but then again, she didn't like the attention. For some reason, she still felt judged.

•••••••••••••••••

The whole day was so surreal for Taffyta. Through each class, she got supportive greetings and high-fives from her classmates. These were people who had never even really known Taffyta, with her moving to this school just this year. She didn't even know most of their names.

Taffyta met up with Vanellope and friends for Activity Period, then again later at lunch. Even though their secret was no longer a secret and all, nothing was really different between Taffyta and Vanellope. Vanellope was still her cheerful, joking self.

Vanellope's day had gone very similarly as Taffyta's had, only she got more questions. Dozens of people asked her "Are you Taffyta's girlfriend?" Vanellope would nod and say "yeah." They would then proceed to ask a bunch of other questions regarding their relationship. It was kind of uncomfortable, but at least this whole thing would wear off soon.

Later on that day, Taffyta made her way to the girls' tennis locker room to get dressed for practice. When she entered, she saw a few of her teammates already getting dressed, including Candela, who sat on the bench in front of her locker, tying her tennis shoes. "Hey, Taffyta." She greeted as Taffyta came over to her locker.

"Hey." Taffyta said back, exhaling as she unlocked her locker.

After a few moments of silence between the two, Candela spoke again. "What was it like?"

Taffyta froze as she was grabbing her racket. She turned her head to look at Candela. "What was what like?"

Candela shrugged. "Dating someone in secret." She looked up at Taffyta, apparently legitimately curious.

Taffyta rolled her eyes, but chuckled. "To be honest, it was kind of nice. Then again, keeping it a secret meant hiding a huge part of who I am, so…." Taffyta shrugged as she started changing clothes. "I'm glad it's not a secret anymore."

Candela nodded. "So….Vanellope is her name, right?"

Taffyta nodded, feeling her cheeks turn red. "Yeah. You've met her."

"Yeah, I have." Candela nodded, eyes wandering. "You….ever dated anyone else?"

"No." Taffyta looked at Candela, starting to wonder why she was asking her all this.

Candela was making an obvious attempt to avoid eye contact with Taffyta. She sighed and stood. "I'll….I'll see you out there." She left the locker room.

Taffyta watched her leave. Candela had never been one to act so timid. Taffyta didn't know a lot about her, but….she felt intrigued. She felt like Candela wanted to talk to her, but maybe not in a room full of other people.

Taffyta made a mental note to try and talk to Candela after practice. She quickly finished changing into her tennis clothes and ran out to the courts.

•••••••••••••••••

Practice was hard, one of the hardest so far that year. Coach Brown was a great coach. She was usually nice, you know, when practice wasn't going on, but when it was time to practice, Brown wanted what she wanted done, done. And when her players didn't follow directions, well, she makes them run. A lot.

A few tennis players (not Taffyta, mind you) seemed a bit sluggish, not putting in their best effort, and Coach Brown wasn't having it. The entire last twenty minutes of practice was spent running laps around the courts. Not jogging, but running, the entire time. What made things worse was the fact that today was abnormally warmer than usual, with no wind at all. The sweat on Taffyta's face was running faster than she was, and Taffyta could run pretty fast. Once practice ended, Taffyta knew for a fact that she'd need to remember to take her tennis clothes home to get washed after school. She, along with the rest of her teammates, trudged back to the locker room.

Taffyta usually didn't like to, but she really had no choice but to take a shower before heading to class. She didn't break such a sweat like she had today very often, but she needed to cool off, and make sure she would stink for the rest of the day.

The showers were always open to be used, but they rarely were, probably because people were just too squeamish to use them. At least the showers were divided into individual stalls with curtains. Otherwise, Taffyta wouldn't even consider it.

She borrowed shampoo from a teammate, got to a shower stall, stripped off her smelly tennis clothes, and took perhaps the quickest shower ever. She knew the bell would ring at any moment, and she definitely didn't want to be late to her next class. That would just result in more unwanted attention.

Taffyta wasn't sure if she washed her hair enough. She scrubbed for about twenty seconds before rinsing, but she really didn't have the time for any longer. She shut off the water and grabbed a towel from a rack nearby. When she finished drying off, she realized she had left her regular clothes in her locker. She peeked around the curtain to see Candela still there, pulling her pink Chuck Taylor's on.

"Candela." Taffyta called. Her teammate glanced over. "Could you bring me my clothes." That was one of the most awkward sentences Taffyta had ever uttered, but she felt she didn't have time to wait for Candela to leave to go and get her clothes herself. And she couldn't just put her gross tennis clothes back on. She'd just showered.

"Sure." Candela nodded. "What's your locker combination." Taffyta told her the three numbers, and Candela was able to open Taffyta's locker. She gathered all of Taffyta's clothes up and carried them over to her.

"Just sit them on the towel rack." Taffyta told her, and she did so. "And thanks."

"No prob." Candela nodded, cheeks slightly but noticeably pink. She turned to go back to her locker.

"Oh, wait up!" Taffyta called.

"Hm?" Candela looked back.

Taffyta was now completely behind the curtain, putting her regular clothes on. "Don't leave yet. I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh….okay." Candela said back.

The school bell rang. "Dammit." Taffyta murmured to herself.

As soon as Taffyta finished getting dressed, she exited the shower stall and carried her tennis clothes to her locker. Once she shut and locked it, she felt her phone vibrate. She took it out if her pocket and read a text from Vanellope. "You're taking too long. I gotta go to class. See you after school." She must've been waiting outside for Taffyta.

"Who's that?" Candela asked.

"Vanellope." Taffyta answered.

"Oh. okay." Candela looked to the side and nodded. "So what did you wanna talk to me about?"

"Oh, right." Taffyta said as the two left the locker room and walked down the hall. "Just wondering….you alright?"

Candela looked at her. "Yeah, why?"

"It's just that….you seemed…,I don't know, nervous before practice when we were talking."

"Oh." Candela looked ahead for a moment. "No, I'm fine."

"You sure?" Taffyta asked. Candela didn't seem to be very honest right now.

"Uh huh." Candela nodded.

"Nothing you want me to know?"

Candela abruptly stopped, then shook her head and started walking faster than before. "It….it's not important. I gotta go to class." She turned a corner before Taffyta could say anything else.

••••••••••••••

Taffyta had trouble focusing in class for the rest of the day simply because of Candela. Candela had something to tell her, Taffyta was certain if it. She was just too nervous for some reason. Taffyta wondered what she'd possibly want to tell her. Did she want to quit tennis? Was she nervous about her classes?

Taffyta remembered back to the questions Candela had asked her before practice. "What's it like dating someone in secret?" "Have you ever dated anyone else?" Why was she so curious? And why was she so nervous? Did those questions have to do with the thing she wanted to tell her.

Why would Candela want to tell Taffyta something? She had other friends, friends she knew way better than she knew Taffyta. Why her? And why now, on the day Taffyta and Vanellope came out?

Before today, Candela had been just a casual friend Taffyta played tennis with. They had had nothing but short, unimportant conversations with each other up until today. Now, all of a sudden, Candela was nervous around Taffyta. Taffyta had never even seen her nervous before.

Then it hit her. It was a crazy assumption, but somehow, it all fit together with everything else perfectly. In hindsight, it was tremendously unlikely, but presented with what Taffyta had seen from Candela that day, it just made sense. It just seemed so plausible. Of course Candela would come to Taffyta, who was revealed to be gay just three days ago.

•••••••••••••••••

Vanellope hadn't been quite as relieved for a school day to end as much as she was today. She'd finally get to go home and hang out with Taffyta for the rest of the day. Well, if she could find Taffyta.

She wandered around the entire school building twice looking for her. Was it possible that she'd gone home with our her? No, Taffyta wouldn't forget about Vanellope, especially on a day like today.

After fifteen minutes of wandering around, Vanellope decided to text her. She sent her about six messages before she actually got a reply. "Sorry. Was practicing tennis. I'll meet you at my car."

That's strange, Vanellope thought. She had checked the tennis courts, twice, and both times, no one was there.

•••••••••••••••••••

"So, how'd your day go?"

Taffyta shrugged as she drove down the road. She glanced at Vanellope. "It was…." She glanced at the steering wheel, then went back to watching the road. "Weird." She finished.

"Same here." Vanellope rubbed her eyes. "So….many.…people.…talking.…to me." She groaned, smiling at Taffyta.

"Yeah, I know." Taffyta took a long breath. "People ask you a bunch of–"

"Questions?" Vanellope finished for her. She laughed. "Yeah, a lot. 'How long have you two been together?' 'Has anyone made fun of you?' 'Were you planning to come out if it weren't for Rancis?'"

"Oh, football practice." Taffyta groaned. "After school football practice. I forgot."

"Just ditch 'em. I'm sure the coach doesn't care." Vanellope told her.

Taffyta was just driving by the football field. "Hey, where's the team?"

"Maybe they didn't have practice." Vanellope said. "So you don't have to go anyway, yay!"

"I wonder why." Taffyta pondered, making sure not to stare at the empty practice field and get back to watching where she was going.

"You went to the football practice during the day, right?" Vanellope asked.

"Yeah." Taffyta nodded. "Rancis wasn't there."

"I don't think he came to school." Vanellope snickered. "I don't blame him."

"Neither do I." Taffyta admitted.

They continued on down the road. They'd get to Taffyta's house in a few short minutes.

After the short silence, Vanellope finally asked what had been bugging her for the past few minutes. "Who were you practicing tennis with?"

Taffyta's breathing stalled for a moment. "Candela." She heard herself say.

"Oh, okay." Vanellope nodded, watching Taffyta out of the corner of her eye while acting like she was focused on playing with the drawstrings on her hoodie.

A few more moments of silence. They turned down Taffyta's street.

"That's weird." Vanellope finally said.

"What?" Taffyta asked.

"I didn't see you at the tennis courts." She told her. "I didn't see anybody."

Taffyta's mouth opened to respond, but she couldn't think of anything to say. She felt her insides tighten.

She was blatantly lying to Vanellope.

"Taffyta." Vanellope cautiously murmured. "Where were you, really?"

Taffyta pulled into her driveway. She killed the engine and pulled the key from the ignition, but she didn't unbuckle her seatbelt just yet. She sighed and turned her head towards Vanellope. "I.…was talking with Candela."

Vanellope raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"She told told me…." Taffyta fiddled with her fingers. "Stuff."

"Taffyta." Vanellope scoffed, laughing. "Just tell me. How bad can it be?"

Taffyta rolled her eyes. "It's not bad. In fact, I don't think I should be surprised seeing how my whole day was crazy."

"Then what did Candela tell you?"

••••••••••••••••••

Taffyta remembered to go get her tennis clothes after school before going home. When she entered the locker room, she saw a few of her teammates doing the same, taking out their workout clothes and taking them home. "Hi, Taffyta." They each said as she entered. She greeted them back as she went to her locker.

Most of them had left by the time Taffyta had gotten her uniform out. It still smelt unpleasant. Taffyta pulled an Adidas shoe bag from her locker and stuffed her musty uniform into it, pulling the drawstrings to close it. She clipped the bag to her backpack and headed to the exit.

Just as she pushed the door open, she felt it bump into someone, who let out a surprised "Whoa!" And stumbled back.

"Sorry!" Taffyta looked around the door and saw it was Candela.

Candela stood there, rubbing her left upper arm. "It's okay." A red mark was visible on her bicep. Candela wore a sleeveless translucent light green blouse over a white tank top and white pants. Taffyta never really accredited her for it, but Candela had some style sense, albeit a very customary style sense. Still, her semi-athletic build certainly posed no challenges for her to look nice. Taffyta figured she herself benefitted similarly.

"You're sure?" Taffyta asked her, nodding towards Candela's arm.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's fine." She said with a certain unsettled vibrato in her voice. Candela stopped rubbing her contused arm as if to take Taffyta's attention away from it. After an awkward mutual standoff, Candela entered the locker room.

Taffyta knew she risked driving off Candela again in a nervous frenzy, much like she had after practice earlier that day, if she asked her why she seemed so nervous around her all of a sudden. But she knew avoiding it would be pointless if she expected to get an explanation out of her.

Taffyta went back into the locker room. Candela was the only other person there.

"Candela." Taffyta said as calmly as she could. "You've seemed nervous all day. Can you tell me what's up?"

Candela looked at her for a few moments, then her eyes started drifting away as she started thinking it over. She sighed as she unlocked her locker. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah." Taffyta nodded. She was good at keeping secrets. Almost too good.

"You promise not to tell?" Candela asked.

"Yes." Taffyta nodded again, muffling a chuckle. That question sounded sort of immature, like something a sixth grader would say, but Taffyta didn't blame Candela. She understood what it was like to tell someone something sensitively personal.

"Not even your girlfriend?" Candela pressed on.

Taffyta was about to say "yes" again, but faltered. She couldn't hide stuff from Vanellope anymore. Not after the whole charade with Rancis.

"Yes." Taffyta said. She felt bad for lying, but Candela wasn't going to tell her otherwise.

Candela sighed, closing her eyes. "I felt like I could come to you, since you'd probably know how I feel."

"Then tell me. It's okay, I won't laugh."

"I didn't think you would." Candela grabbed her tennis clothes from her locker. She turned her body to face Taffyta. "I….I think I'm gay."

Taffyta's eyebrows went up. "You do?" Taffyta's suspicions were actually correct, well, sort of—Candela did say "I think."

Candela nodded. "I'm not sure, though."

Taffyta sat down on the bench next to her. "That's fine. It's your feelings. I'm not gonna tell you what you should do, if that's what you expected."

"No." Candela shook her head. "I don't expect that. I'm just….confused."

"Okay." Taffyta nodded. She actually felt a bit flattered that Candela came to her about this. (Well, technically, Taffyta came to her). Maybe now that she was openly lesbian, maybe other people at school would come to her for advice. Again, not a comfortable idea for Taffyta, but at least she'd be helping people.

"When did you know…." Candela waved her hands in front of her chest, trying to find the words. "You liked girls?" She finished.

Taffyta shrugged. "I don't know. I never remember admiring guys. I always noticed how pretty other girls are." She looked at Candela. "Is that you?"

"Not exactly." Candela shook her head. "I've had boy crushes. I've just started to feel this way recently."

"How recently?" Taffyta asked.

"Around when school started." She said, shrugging. "Maybe earlier, like during summer tennis practice."

"Well, then I wouldn't say you're gay, I mean, if you still like guys, too." Taffyta told her.

"I know." Candela leaned her elbows on her knees.

"Is it just plain curiosity in girls, or is it someone specific?" Taffyta asked.

Candela's face turned a brighter red than before, which was saying something. She opened her mouth, but it took a few moments for her to form her breath into words. "Someone specific." She admitted.

"Who?" Taffyta asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

Candela swallowed, closing her eyes. She took a couple audible deep breaths, then looked up at Taffyta. "I know it seems weird." She said. "But….that specific someone is you."


	17. Chapter 17

"Seriously?" To be honest, Vanellope didn't know what to expect when Taffyta explained what went down with Candela.

The two girls sat in Taffyta's living room, side-by-side on the couch. The TV was off, and Taffyta's mom was still in bed (she had a migraine), so Taffyta and Vanellope were alone in this otherwise silent room, if not for the constant whirring sound of the ceiling fan. Sunlight shined through the windows facing towards the rather small backyard that didn't live up to the house's size. No lights were on, so semi-darkness edged around the bright rectangles left on the floor from the sun. It was a perfect environment for an after-school nap, but Vanellope was too busy thinking over everything Taffyta had just told her to consider a snooze.

"So….Candela has a crush on you." Vanellope stated.

Taffyta nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I mean, she did say the only reason she took interest in girls was because of me." Taffyta felt a little sickened by the thought of another person liking her besides Vanellope. "She said she'd felt that way since the beginning of summer tennis practice. That's when I first met her."

Vanellope looked down at the faded white carpet, giving this whole story a great deal of thought. Somehow, Vanellope found herself feeling a little sorry for Candela. She was crushing on Taffyta even before Vanellope was. Vanellope was just lucky, or Candela was unlucky. They'd practiced tennis together over the whole month of August. She probably tried to drop hints to Taffyta, but….Taffyta didn't feel the same?

"Did you ever like her back?" Vanellope asked.

"No." Taffyta shook her head. "I….really don't develop crushes on anyone anymore, not after the occurrences in middle school. I ended up liking you because you….told me you were gay." Taffyta just realized…."If Candela had told me she was gay…."

"You would've liked her?" Vanellope finished for her.

"I….I guess." Taffyta felt her face get hot.

"I understand." Vanellope told her. "I'm not jealous of her, because I have no reason to be."

Taffyta nodded, feeling a little relieved that Vanellope didn't think badly of Candela.

"I mean, we could always help her find someone else." Vanellope added.

"That's the thing, though." Taffyta said. "I'm the only girl she's ever liked. She really has no interest in girls in general. She just made an exception for me, which….is actually kind of sweet."

"Maybe a little jealous." Vanellope admitted after Taffyta said that.

Taffyta turned to look at her girlfriend. Vanellope didn't seem to be too delighted in Taffyta's revelations about Candela.

"Vanny, I don't like Candela. She's a friend and my tennis teammate, but I don't like her. I mean, I like her and all, you know, 'cause she's friendly and nice, but….I can't possibly like anybody else, especially after today, when everyone learned you and I are together."

"What did you tell her?" Vanellope asked.

"Huh?"

"What did you tell her after she admitted to liking you?" Vanellope asked again.

"I told her I was flattered, but I also told her I have a girlfriend. I said that she'd just need to let go. I wasn't rude about it, you know. I've been in a position like hers. You think you're weird or you believe something or someone you want is unattainable."

"Which, in this case, it is." Vanellope said. "She's not taking you from me." She shook her head, squeezing Taffyta's arm.

"I don't like her! She's too pretty! I like you because you're different. You're, like, custom made for me. You're exactly what I've always wanted in a girl." Taffyta leaned closer to Vanellope, rubbing her knee. "No one's taking me from you, and no one's gonna take you from me."

Vanellope was silent for a moment, replaying Taffyta's statement over in her head. "Did you just say Candela is 'too pretty'?"

"Yeah." Taffyta nodded, then she froze for a moment, then shook her head. "Vanny, I didn't mean—"

"You don't like Candela because she's 'too pretty'." She knitted her eyebrows. "You like girls who aren't that pretty, like me."

"Van, you know that's not what I meant." Taffyta told her, squeezing Vanellope's knee.

"You basically just said Candela is prettier than me." Vanellope's voice seemed a bit too calm to match her words, although she certainly looked on edge.

"That doesn't matter! So what if that's so?! My point is—"

"'That doesn't matter'?! 'So what'?! Taffyta, all I'm hearing you say is that Candela is so fother-mucking gorgeous, you couldn't possibly be bothered to like her, even though you say you know what it's like to be her, and the fact that you probably would have fallen in love with her if she'd only told you she liked you!"

"That's why I'm in love with you!" Taffyta exclaimed. "I trusted you, and you trusted me. We told each other we were gay, we told each other huge secrets—"

"Just answer me this." Vanellope interrupted. "Just so I'm clear here. I know there are a bat-ship load of pretty girls out there, most of them prettier than me, and believe me, I notice, too. I'll admit, I notice some pretty girls around. Some are cute, some are pretty, hell, some are downright sexy, but in all my fifteen-and-a-half years of life, I've only met one girl who was all of those things and more. I've only met one perfect girl in my life, and that's you."

Taffyta was left dumbfounded. Vanellope was always such a cheerful and carefree girl, but now, Taffyta could see just what Vanellope was. She was brutally honest, she knew herself well, and she wasn't afraid to tell you what was wrong. And boy, did she have a way with words. She knew how to toy with your feelings. She had the mind of an artist.

"Just answer me this." Vanellope said again. She glared at Taffyta, eyebrows up. It was almost a familiar glare, like the one your mother gives you when you've just learned a valuable lesson, and she wanted to make sure you understood. "I know you also notice all the cute, pretty, sexy chicks out there, and I'm okay with that; I get that. But just reassure me of one thing: am I your perfect girl?"

Taffyta found herself staring at Vanellope. Those hazel eyes, glittering in the sunlight shining through the windows, watched Taffyta like a hunter watches its game, but almost as if the hunter had remorse for its game. Taffyta knew what Vanellope wanted to hear, and if she didn't hear it, she'd be pretty angry, but she'd still care about Taffyta. Even if Taffyta left her forever, Vanellope would still want her to be okay, no matter how hurt she could feel, Vanellope would still care about her.

She knew it for certain. Vanellope loved her. She was Taffyta's perfect girl.

Tears pushed at Taffyta's eyelids as she grabbed Vanellope by the shoulders and hugged her tight. She felt Vanellope wrap her arms around her back, however in a very light fashion, like she was holding back. That didn't concern Taffyta, though. She knew Vanellope needed to know how Taffyta really felt. She was questioning Taffyta, and for good reasons, too. Well, it was time for Taffyta to answer all of Vanellope's questions.

"I love you." She murmured into Vanellope's ear.

It took a few moments, but then Taffyta felt Vanellope tighten her arms around her. She heard Vanellope sniff before saying "Taffyta.…I love you, too."

* * *

What a day, indeed.

The next hour was mainly silence between Vanellope and Taffyta. They'd gone up to Taffyta's bedroom, and now, they lied together on the bed, arms around one another. Vanellope lied on her back while Taffyta lied next to her on her side. Taffyta had her arms around Vanellope's neck, burying her nose in the crook in Vanellope's shoulder. Vanellope had taken off her hoodie, which left a green spaghetti-strap tank top over the thicker black straps of her bra. Vanellope kept her arm around Taffyta, stroking up and down her back from shoulder blade to waist. Taffyta still had on her pink T-shirt and skirt. Both girls had kicked their shoes off.

It was as if saying "I love you" was a sort of relationship barrier-breaker. They'd never been this closely intimate. Sure, they'd cuddled plenty before, but back then, they cuddled each other like one would cuddle puppies. It was all fun and fuzzy. But now, they cuddled each other like they were holding the person they loved, which, for the first time, seemed to be exactly the case.

Vanellope stared at the ceiling, reminiscing on Taffyta's words. "I love you." That was definitely enough of an answer for Vanellope. She gradually had become more and more guilty for questioning Taffyta, but after all that, Taffyta was still there, hugging her, nuzzling her neck. Vanellope knew Taffyta would always forgive her, at least, she would always forgive her for things that are forgivable. Vanellope couldn't imagine ever doing anything that would mean not being forgiven. Taffyta was just to nice. That didn't mean Vanellope would just do something Taffyta wouldn't like, just because she knew Taffyta wouldn't hold it against her for long.

Vanellope wondered if Taffyta felt similarly about her. All Vanellope knew is that she herself was not as forgiving. She'd been wronged enough times in her life. She simply just didn't like it.

Vanellope felt Taffyta lift her face from her shoulder. Vanellope turned her head just as Taffyta spoke. "I want to fix things."

It took a moment for Vanellope to process Taffyta's words. She'd been a little distracted by the red mark and the impressions on Taffyta's cheek from lying on her shoulder. "Fix what?"

"I feel like Candela hates me." Taffyta admitted.

Vanellope couldn't say she was very pleased that they were talking about Candela again, but felt bad for feeling anxious when her name was simply spoken. "Why?" Vanellope asked. "What makes you think that?"

"I can't help but feel like I was to blunt with her. I told her to let go, that there was really no chance for her. And I feel terrible."

"But, there is no chance….right?" Vanellope started to say, but she didn't want to sound jealous like she had earlier.

"No, not really." Taffyta told her. "But I told her she had no chance, basically. Do you know how it feels to have no chance to achieve something that you would die for?"

"Yeah." Vanellope didn't want to elaborate.

"I want Candela to know I still want to be friends with her. She was the first person I ever thought of as a friend when I moved here."

"How do you plan to do that?" Vanellope asked.

Taffyta took a moment to think. "Maybe I could invite her to hang out with you and me, along with Minty and Citrusella somewhere. Maybe then, she'll start to think of me simply as a friend. And I think you'll start to like her."

"I never said I didn't like her." Vanellope told her. She never really liked her, either, to be honest. "Neutral" seemed to be the word to describe how she felt about Candela. So what she told Taffyta wasn't a lie. "What do you suppose we go do?"

Taffyta thought for a moment. "There's a volleyball game tomorrow."

"Volleyball?" Vanellope asked. She knew the basic rules to the game, but really nothing else. The only thing about the sport Vanellope really found interesting were the cute shorts the players wore. "Why volleyball?"

Taffyta shook her head. "I don't know. I heard the team was pretty good."

Vanellope nodded, remembering something about the volleyball team making it to the State Quarterfinal last year.

"I always wanted to try volleyball. It overlaps tennis season, though." Taffyta admitted.

Vanellope imagined Taffyta wearing a volleyball uniform—a cute shirt and those tight shorts. Vanellope kind of wished Taffyta did play volleyball.

"I don't know if I can convince Minty to come. Citrus will probably be fine, but I've never seen Minty at any sporting event besides football." Vanellope advised. "But I guess she'd come anyway. She'll want to hang out with the two most popular girls at Carson High." Vanellope smiled.

"I wouldn't say we're 'popular'." Taffyta said. "But now that you mention that….I'm not sure if I want to go to a school event. We'd get too much attention."

"We just gotta get used to it." Vanellope told her. "I honestly think it's a good idea."

Taffyta nodded. "Okay. Okay. I'll invite Candela to the game tomorrow. Maybe after the game, we could go somewhere to eat?"

"I know a good frozen yogurt place." Vanellope told her.

"Cool. I think it'll be fun." Taffyta lied her head back down on her shoulder, laying her arm across Vanellope's belly. "Hopefully everything goes well."

* * *

After another day of nonstop attention at school, Vanellope was once again glad to be with Taffyta for a while. It wasn't a long while. She had to wait for Taffyta to finish with football business, since they did have after-school practice today. (Rancis was was once again MIA). That left them from five until the volleyball game would start at seven.

They spent a lot of that time at Taffyta's house playing on Taffyta's PlayStation 4. Taffyta's mom was at work, so she wasn't around to bug Taffyta about how video games made you brain-dead. (Taffyta tried to explain to her mother that scientific research proved video games to be beneficial, but her mom still insisted on going outside instead). After about an hour on a racing game and an hour on an RPG, Taffyta and Vanellope headed back to Carson High, were they'd meet with their friends.

Candela had agreed to be there after Taffyta offered. Taffyta made sure she said that this was a friendly endeavor. She wanted to be friends with Candela, nothing else. She also wanted her to become friends with Vanellope. Citrusella and Minty were also going to be there.

After a short drive, Vanellope and Taffyta arrived at CHS. Waiting for them at the front entrance were Minty, Citrusella, and Candela.

"Explain the game of volleyball before we head in." Minty said. She had on a green "CHS #1" t-shirt and jeans. Citrusella had on a blue tank top and a black skirt, and Candela donned a white t-shirt, green skirt, and green leggings.

Taffyta was the one to explain the rules of volleyball. It seemed like Taffyta knew everything about every sport. Vanellope wondered if she knew anything about something obscure like cricket.

The five girls got into the game for free for being Carson High students. The gym was huge. Pull-out bleachers lined the sides of the court while staircases led up to more seating. A net was set up in the middle if the gym floor, Carson High's team warming up on one side, with the team from Jefferson High warming up on the other, wearing red, white, and blue uniforms. Jefferson High's mascot was the Colonist. On the sideline stood a big-headed eighteenth-century dude with a huge three-point hat all the way down to pointy black shoes. Vanellope wondered if the guy who had to wear that suit got paid to do it.

The group of five girls were lucky enough to find seats on the very front row, thanks to some nice students who gladly scooted over for Vanellope and Taffyta….and others. Candela sat furthest right, with Taffyta next to her, then Vanellope, Citrusella, Minty.

A whistle was blown, and the teams returned to their respective benches and huddled up. The Cavaliers, or "Cavalettes" as Carson High's lady athletes were called, were the first to break their huddle and get positioned for the serve. Once the Lady Colonists broke their huddle, one of their players was handed a ball, and she served it across the court to start the match.

Volleyball was actually pretty fun to watch, Vanellope had to admit, especially since the Cavalettes were dominating right off the bat. Every time a player attempted to spike the ball, Vanellope would exclaim "Oh!" And then would cheer if Carson High had scored. Carson High took the first set with a score of 21-12.

Taffyta stared up at the scoreboard looking at the score when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked down and Candela flinched, drawing her hand away as if she'd originally reaching for Taffyta's hand. Candela blushed intensely and stuttered "I'm gonna….I'm gonna go to the concession stand." She hastily stood up and hurried out of the gym. Taffyta wanted to get up to follow her, but then remembered that if Candela was gonna get over Taffyta, she'd need to do it by herself.

As if by miracle, Jefferson High won set two by a score of 21-17. That left with one last tie-breaking set. The thing was, Candela was still not back from the concession stand. Taffyta gave in and got up. "I'm gonna find her." She said, heading out of the gym. Vanellope seemed to want to respond, but had nothing good to say. So she just continued watching the match.

Candela wasn't at the concession stand. Taffyta glanced around corners and looked down hallways. She even looked outside. She'd yet to find Candela. Then she thought "maybe the bathroom?" She entered into the bathroom nearest to the gym. All the stalls were unoccupied except one: the one on the very far end. Taffyta could hear sniffing and small sobs. She quickly concluded it to be Candela. She was crying alone in a public restroom.

Taffyta knocked on the stall door. "Candela, what's wrong?" She asked in a concerned tone of voice.

"Just leave me alone." She groaned. Her quiet sobbing continued.

"Candela." Taffyta said. "Come out of there. Just tell me what's wrong."

"I want to….g-go home." Candela said, her words being chopped up by sudden sobs.

Taffyta sighed "Cande—"

"I wanna go home!" She moaned. "Just leave me alone and I'll call my mom to pick me up."

"Tell me what's wrong!" Taffyta begged.

"Leave me alone!" Candela yelled.

"I want to help you." Taffyta was beginning to consider crawling into the stall when Candela unlocked and opened the door. Her nose and eyes were red, wetness shining on her cheeks and upper lip. She wiped her face with the back of her hand. "You wanna help?"

"Yes." Taffyta nodded.

"Fine. You can help. Drive me home and never speak to me again."

"Candela, why are—"

"I can't stand being around you anymore, knowing you'll never love me!" Candela moaned. She stormed by Taffyta. "Just drive me home. I don't want to explain anything to my mother if she'd pick me up."

Taffyta sighed, looked down and shook her head. "After the volleyball match, I'll—"

"Take me home now." Candela told her. "I hate being at this school anyway."

"Candela…." Taffyta had hoped bringing her to this volleyball game would make her feel more like a friend to Candela, but it just made things way worse instead.

She caved in and nodded. "Okay." Taffyta pulled her phone from her pocket and texted Vanellope: "Candela's really upset. I'm taking her home."

"What's wrong?" Vanellope sent back moments later.

"I'll explain later." Taffyta locked her phone and put it back into her pocket. She looked towards Candela, who leaned on a sink and wiped at what was left of her tears. "Come on." Taffyta said, heading towards the door. Candela followed silently.

Taffyta listened to the cheering and yelling from the gymnasium. She felt terrible for multiple reasons: 1. She was ditching Vanellope, 2. She'd made Candela feel worse, and 3.…well, she was sure she'd screwed something else up. She just hoped things would eventually sort themselves out, because Taffyta wasn't the best at fixing things.

They exited the school building and went to Taffyta's Camry. As Taffyta drove, Candela only spoke to direct Taffyta where to go to take her home, and even then, her words were crackly and weak. Every now and then, Taffyta would try to think of something to say, but knew nothing would make Candela feel better. Nothing except holding Taffyta's hand or something semi-romantic like that. Taffyta really felt like she'd ruined Candela's life. Sure, Taffyta once had a crush on a girl that was impossibly unattainable back in middle school, but she got over it eventually. She had Vanellope now—and that was precisely Candela's problem.

Candela finally croaked. "This is it." She pointed to an average sized house, bigger than Vanellope's but smaller than Taffyta's. Candela opened the car door. "Thanks." She said emptily to Taffyta before shutting it.

Taffyta watched for a moment as Candela walked away. She felt her heart press at her ribcage, begging her to do something. She squeezed the steering wheel, but gave in and unbuckled her seatbelt. She opened the driver's side door. "Wait!" She yelled just as Candela reached her porch.

Candela froze and looked back. She watched Taffyta hurry over to her. "Candela…." She said, putting her words into sentences in her head before saying them. "I invited you to the volleyball game because I wanted to still be friends with you."

Candela pursed her lips, knitting her eyebrows. Her breaths were short, her face reddening. "I don't want to be friends."

"I know, Candela. I'm glad you trusted me enough to admit your feelings, but—"

"That's just it, Taffyta!" Candela suddenly bursted, causing Taffyta to backpedal a step. "I've been a wreck since telling you I liked you! I know you're dating Vanellope, but ever since I found out you were gay, I wanted to confess to you as soon as I could, because liking you ate me up. I couldn't hug and kiss you in my imagination forever!"

"Hug and kiss you in my imagination." Taffyta played that sentence over in her head a few times. That was probably the most relatable thing she'd ever heard.

"I wanted you for real! I didn't want to be 'just friends', because every time I see you, I'm reminded of how pretty and sweet you are, and it tortures me. I know it must have been hard for you to keep the fact you were gay a secret, but I'm not gay! You're the only girl I've ever liked! Can you imagine how hard that was for me, to go through an identity crisis like that? I'm not gay, am I? Or am I? I'm in love with another girl, but all other girls are just….not special." She sniffed, a tear running down her face. "I've dated boys. I still like boys. Even while chasing you, I noticed cute boys, but none of them were what you were to me. You were unique."

Taffyta's mind was gone for words. Candela had already placed a cinder block on Taffyta's heart when she admitted to liking her, but now, she'd built an entire house of guilt and conflicting feelings on Taffyta's chest. Candela's words stuck into her like syringes filled with pity, leaving Taffyta feeling compelled to hug Candela, but also knowing that doing so would only sharpen Candela's torture. Candela didn't want pity—she wanted love, and Taffyta had none left. It was all reserved for Vanellope….

"I can't anymore, Taffyta." Candela said, sounding defeated. She reached for the front door to her house. "Don't bother practicing tennis with me tomorrow. I won't be there…."

"Wait, what?!" Taffyta exclaimed, feeling her heart glitch. She wasn't sure what to make of "I won't be there", but it didn't sound good. She reached out and grabbed Candela's wrist just before Candela could knock.

Candela turned and looked at Taffyta. She was crying again. "What do you want?" She asked.

"I….I don't know." What did she want? What did she plan to do to make Candela feel better?

"Then go away." Candela said, jerking her arm free from Taffyta's grasp.

"I still want to practice tennis with you." Taffyta blurted out. "I don't want us to stop being friends."

"WHY?! How do I matter that much?! You have Vanellope! I'm not that big of a deal to you, am I?"

"You are." Taffyta cleared her throat to try to prevent getting choked up. "I love playing tennis with you."

"That's what I am. Your tennis buddy." Candela said sullenly. "That's it."

"Candela—"

"Quit it!" She yelled. "There's nothing you can do, Taffyta." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm not important to you. I love you, Taffyta. And you….just like playing tennis with me." She sniffed, rubbing her arm. Her eyes were trained on the concrete floor. "You don't need me around as much as I need you."

Taffyta was only few weeks into Psychology 1 at school, but she'd learned enough to identify what Candela's behavior meant. "Candela…."

"Stop, okay, just stop!" Candela's voice sounded like she was speaking into a glass bottle. She sniffed again, rubbing her eyes. "Please, just go."

"I'm not leaving until I know you're okay." Taffyta stepped closer to her.

"I'm not okay, Taffyta. What do you expect?!"

"You're really sweet, Candela. You're pretty, considerate, and nice. You'll find someone else who—"

"'Someone else'…." Candela moaned, sobbing into her hands. "You say that like it's easy."

She was right. "Just find someone else" was a ridiculous thing to tell anyone who loved someone they couldn't have.

"I'm sorry, Taffyta." Candela said nasally. She sniffed again. "I put you through enough trouble with me. Just go back to Carson. I'll never bother you again."

"Stop saying stuff like that!" Taffyta exclaimed.

"Just go back to Vanellope." She told her, turning towards the front door.

"I'm not concerned about Vanellope, I'm concerned about you!"

"Why?" Candela asked.

"Because….because I…." Taffyta felt her emotions collapse. She lunged forward and grabbed Candela into a hug. Tears welled in her eyes as she squeezed Candela's back. Candela put her arms around Taffyta, temporarily forgetting her troubles and enjoying something she'd dreamed about for so long.

"I want you to be okay." Taffyta finally murmured, holding Candela a little tighter.

The hug was so much more than what Candela had imagined it would be. It wasn't like the many hugs she'd gotten from boys. It felt so much more different, both literally and figuratively. It was sweeter and more gentle. Candela was as tall as Taffyta, making it possible to rest her cheek against hers. Taffyta hugging her tighter increased the pressure on Candela's chest, only making Candela want to hug her even tighter. It was cloud 9 euphoria, her anger and frustration fading.

Candela no longer cared about anything else at that moment. Taffyta was hugging her. The strawberry shampoo she'd used the day before in the locker room shower still found Candela's nose. Candela forgot about not having a chance with Taffyta. She forgot about her frustrating romantic confusion. She forgot the fact that Taffyta was with someone else. This was Candela's moment. She had nothing else to lose.

Just as Taffyta began to retreat from Candela's arms, Candela held onto the sides of her head, brought her back forward, and kissed her.

She kissed Taffyta like Vanellope had never kissed Taffyta before.

* * *

Taffyta sat in her car out in front of Candela's house. Candela, the girl who had just stopped and restarted Taffyta's heart all during the same kiss, was now inside her home.

Taffyta would have liked to have started her car and have been on her way home by now, but she was too busy bawling her eyes out from guilt. After everything that had just occurred, after what had just happened between her and Candela, after wanting to care about Candela rather than Vanellope at that moment had led to Taffyta being unable to think about anyone else besides Vanellope and how cripplingly guilty she felt for forgetting about her and kissing another girl. How could she have possibly gotten sucked into all this? This morning, she'd told Vanellope that she loved her, and now, she was blubbering like a child because she'd shared an abnormally long kiss with another girl—a girl whom which Taffyta had promised Vanellope she had no feelings for.

Taffyta felt so awful for being so dishonest. First, it was hiding her troubles with Rancis from her. Now, she'd just kissed a girl whom Taffyta had said she didn't like. And what made it worse was….the kiss was fantastic. Sinisterly fantastic. Taffyta enjoyed it like a criminal enjoys spending stolen money. It was pure evil. Wonderfully pure evil. And that's why it killed her so much. Taffyta loved Vanellope. She was her perfect girl. The girl who listened to her and joked with her and told her she was beautiful. And Taffyta had betrayed her.

Taffyta stayed there, sobbing despicably, occasionally moaning Vanellope's name as she rested her forehead on the steering wheel. Taffyta didn't know what to do. Should she tell Vanellope, or let sleeping dogs lie?

What a lying dog Taffyta was. She couldn't tell Vanellope, like she couldn't tell her about her problem with Rancis. Only this time, she wasn't afraid of getting Vanellope hurt. She was afraid of losing her altogether.

Bottom line: Taffyta was hiding something from Vanellope again, and it was going to eat Taffyta up from the inside infinitely until she would confess. But by doing so, her world might crumble around her.

"I'm sorry, Vanellope."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Candela peeked between the curtains in her bedroom, watching Taffyta cry in her car. She was no longer upset, nor angry. She was satisfied.

She grinned as she hopped into bed and grabbed a paper and pencil from her nightstand. She smirked as she said, "Phase one: check!"

**((A/N: I feel like I've really struck gold with this Taffyta/Vanellope/Candela triangle. Should I build on it—yay or nay? BTW, I hope the latter parts of this chapter weren't too shocking with how Candela and Taffyta acted. I like writing emotional stuff, so….yeah, expect more. Anyway, thanks for reading! [Insert pry asking people to leave a review here] :P))**


	18. Chapter 18

**((A/N: Jus****t a reminder—this story is rated T. I know most of this story has been along the lines of K-plus/barely T, but I can assure you that from now on, it's definitely rated T. Just a heads up. Enjoy.))**

Vanellope got a ride home from Jubileena when she came to pick up Citrusella and Minty. Once home, she walked to Taffyta's to see if she was home. Her blue Camry was absent from the driveway. Vanellope thought about knocking and asking Sofia of Taffyta's whereabouts, but opted to find out for herself.

She'd probably sent Taffyta two-dozen texts, and she still didn't respond. Vanellope had wandered all the way home, still no reply. Vanellope even tried calling Taffyta, but that didn't work either. When her call went to voicemail, Vanellope left her a message: "Hey princess, pick up your damn phone, will ya? PS love ya." She hung up and put her phone away. She then went up to her front door, retrieved the key from behind the loose brick, and entered her home.

"Have fun?" Ralph asked. He was watching the local news.

"Yeah, I guess." Vanellope said halfheartedly. She made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a cereal box.

"You're hungry?" Ralph asked as Vanellope poured her cereal into a bowl. "I thought you said you were gonna go somewhere with your friends to eat."

"Just a little change of plans." Vanellope said dismissively, pouring a generous amount of milk on her Frosted Bites. She got a spoon from a drawer and began eating.

"Where's Taffyta?" He asked.

Vanellope ground her teeth on her cereal in displeasure. "She went to drop another friend off at home."

"Oh, okay." A short pause. "You know, you should be getting ready to head to bed soon. It's late."

"I know." Vanellope sighed. She sat at the dining table. "I'll go in a moment." She finished her "dinner" before heading to her bedroom. She didn't bother with PJs and simply crawled into bed in her undies, only to crawl out again when she realized she'd yet to brush her teeth. After doing so, she returned to bed, only to get back up to turn off the light she'd left on. She was more tired than she'd realized.

After about five minutes of relaxing silence, Vanellope heard a buzzing noise come from her hamper. She figured out she'd left her phone in her pocket. She groaned and got up, trudging over to retrieve her jeans from the basket. She pulled her phone from her pocket. On the screen read a text from Taffyta: "Sorry I didn't reply earlier. I was driving. I'm home now."

She'd left the volleyball game with Candela at around eight. It was now almost half-past-ten. What took her so long?

Straining her brain to figure out the un-figure-out-able wasn't something she wanted to engage in, so she simply once again flopped down onto her mattress and buried herself in covers,…only to lay awake for hours speculating Taffyta's reason for taking so long.

* * *

At around two a.m., Vanellope was finally beginning to dose off. As her eyes drifted shut, they were shocked back open by a tapping noise. Her heart rate had jumped considerably as Vanellope rolled onto her back, waiting for the sound again. A few seconds later, the tapping occurred again. It was coming from the window.

Unsure whether it was someone she knew or if it was a psychopath, since the blinds were closed, Vanellope cautiously got out of bed and slowly approached the window. (If it was a psychopath, how smart of Vanellope to approach it while sporting a black bra and panties covered in basketballs. In her defense, being smart wasn't her forte at 2am). She peeked through the blinds to see who was out there.

It was Taffyta. She was dressed in a black sweatshirt and jeans. She made a lame attempt at a smile and waved when she noticed Vanellope move the blinds.

Vanellope hurriedly pulled the blinds up and lifted the window open. "Taffy?!" She exclaimed.

Even in the nighttime darkness, Taffyta's blushes were still visible. She spoke shakily. "Nice outfit."

Vanellope looked down at herself, then chuckled. "Hey, I wasn't expecting my creeper girlfriend to drop by at two in the morning."

Taffyta sighed. "Can I come in?"

"No." Vanellope held a straight face for a moment before snickering. "Of course you can, silly willy."

Taffyta vaulted in through the window. She stood as Vanellope shut the window and lowered the blinds. She then went to turn on her lamp. "But seriously, Taff. Why are you here at this time of night?"

Taffyta shook her head. She sat down on Vanellope's bed. "I'm gonna be honest with you, Vanny. You look really cute, but I need to talk about a serious matter, so I think it would be more appropriate if you put something on."

Vanellope stared at her for a moment, then shrugged. "Fine." She went over to her closet and put on a baggy white t-shirt and blue basketball shorts. "Let the record show that you now must allow me to drop by your place in the middle of the night while you're half-naked trying to sleep."

"Maybe." Taffyta huffed a laugh. She loved Vanellope precisely for this. She was a breath of fresh air. The worst night in Taffyta's life was somehow still improved by Vanellope's humor, her smile, and her basketball-covered butt. Still, it didn't do much to suppress her guilt. She was in love with this girl, but had kissed another.

Vanellope sat down next to her. "So, what's this 'serious matter'?"

* * *

It wasn't long before Taffyta was lying her head in Vanellope's lap, crying after confessing what had happened with Candela. She'd slid off the bed and kneeled in front of Vanellope, wrapping her arms around her waist and sobbing onto her leg, her tears blotting on Vanellope's shorts. "I'm sorry." She moaned over and over.

Vanellope ran her fingers through Taffyta's hair gently, but she was still shocked by what Taffyta had just told her. After they had talked about trying to get Candela to think of Taffyta as more of a friend, Candela had fricking kissed Taffyta! Candela knew perfectly well that Taffyta already had a girlfriend, but she was too much of a blubbering mess to care! Vanellope knew Taffyta wouldn't approve, but Vanellope wanted to give Candela a piece of her mind as soon as possible. No matter how much longer than Vanellope had Candela liked Taffyta, she'd missed her chance. Taffyta was with Vanellope, and Candela wasn't going to change that!

Taffyta sniffed and continued sobbing. "Vanellope, I'm so so sorry. Please don't hate me."

"Taffy…." Vanellope said gently, lifting Taffyta's chin up. "I still love you. Why would I hate you?"

"Because…*sniff*…Candela—"

"That's not your fault. You were just being you. You wanted to help her, and she took advantage of you." Vanellope used her thumb to rub tears away from Taffyta's face. She grabbed her hand and backed up on the bed. "Come here."

Taffyta crawled onto the bed. She sat in front of Vanellope, their legs out to each other's sides. Vanellope hugged Taffyta by her shoulders, Taffyta lying her head over Vanellope's heart, listening to its steady rhythm.

"Taffyta, I love that you want to make people happy, but sometimes, you have to tell people to solve their troubles on their own."

Taffyta nodded, closing her eyes. The warmth of Vanellope's hug and melodic beating of her heart calmed her down.

"I don't blame you, okay?" Vanellope told her. "Candela simply took advantage of your good heart."

Vanellope saying Candela took advantage of her kind of made Taffyta feel better. Ever since the kiss happened, Taffyta had thought it was her own fault. Vanellope had her convinced that she couldn't be blamed for Candela's actions. But there was still one thing that ate Taffyta up like a virus: She'd liked the kiss. How could she confess that?

"I understand why she wants you to be with her so badly, I mean, come on, look at you." Vanellope kissed Taffyta's head. "You're sweet and fun and beautiful…."

Taffyta felt herself begin to tear up from guilt again, quietly beginning to cry as she continued listening to Vanellope's sweet sounding heartbeat.

"Taffy." Vanellope rubbed her back, sounding concerned. "What's wrong now?"

Taffyta sniffed, wanting so badly to tell Vanellope the true nature of her kiss with Candela. She just couldn't bring herself to say it. "I'm….sorry." She croaked.

"Taffy, you're forgiven. You don't have to worry anymore, okay?"

"Yes, I do!" Taffyta exclaimed.

"Shhh, not so loud." Vanellope whispered. "I don't want my dad to know my girlfriend snuck into my bedroom at two in the morning." She continued to massage Taffyta's back. "What else is wrong, Taff?"

Taffyta whimpered, sniffing violently. "I….I can't…."

"Babe, just tell me, okay. You'll feel better if you do."

"I don't know." Taffyta used Vanellope's shirt to wipe her tears off.

"Don't hide anything from me anymore."

That did it. The one thing that could make Taffyta blurt anything out was the guilt of hiding things from Vanellope. She couldn't do that again. "The….kiss…." Taffyta sobbed.

"Yeah?" Vanellope asked.

Taffyta pressed her ear to Vanellope's chest, listening to a few more beats before continuing. She squeezed her eyes shut. "When Candela kissed me, I….I'm sorry!"

"What, Taffy? Just tell me."

Taffyta let out one last sob before confessing. "I liked it." She said quietly.

"What?" Vanellope asked, not sure if she had heard right.

"I liked Candela's kiss." Taffyta said, holding her breath as she listened to Vanellope's quickening heart rate. "And that fact is eating me up, Vanny. I feel like I've betrayed you."

"You….you enjoyed the kiss?" Vanellope asked.

Taffyta's nod was almost undetectable. She'd given up on wiping off her tears. She just let them run off her jawline. "It….felt nice. I don't know…." She struggled to keep air in her lungs as her chest tightened. "Maybe it's because I'm inexperienced. I haven't been kissed a lot."

Vanellope felt like that was a shot at her, like she should be more romantic. Vanellope knew that wasn't Taffyta's intentions, but it did make her feel guilty. "I'm sorry for not kissing you more."

"No, that's not what I meant." Taffyta coughed. "I'm fifteen. I won't turn sixteen for another five months."

Vanellope wasn't a math whiz, but she knew what that meant. "You turn sixteen in January?"

"Yeah." Taffyta nodded.

"Were you….held back?" She asked. That was unlikely, for Taffyta was a terrific student. Vanellope had turned fifteen on the first day of school. If only she'd been born a day earlier, she'd be a sophomore now.

"I started school a year late. My biological parents died the year I would've gone to kindergarten. I went to therapy instead."

Vanellope couldn't be mad at Taffyta. She'd had a childhood as bad as hers, if not worse. No wonder her emotions could get out of whack like this. She'd been through so much.

So what if Candela kissed her, and so what if she liked it? In all honesty, Vanellope would probably enjoy it if any girl kissed her. She couldn't expect Taffyta to just be turned off automatically just because she'd been dating Vanellope for a little over two weeks.

She could be mad at Candela, though. And she was mad. Very mad. But she held her anger back for Taffyta's sake.

"Taffyta, I'm still not going to blame you." Vanellope whispered to her.

Taffyta looked up at her. The whites of her eyes were pink from all her crying. "You….you won't?"

"No." Vanellope kissed Taffyta's nose. "It's all Candela's fault." Vanellope could not help the slight bitterness in that sentence.

"Please don't say anything to her." Taffyta begged. "She's gone through enough."

Vanellope felt like saying "I don't give a funk," but opted for "Okay."

Taffyta mustered a small smile and kissed Vanellope just under the jaw. "Thanks, Vanny."

Vanellope nodded. After a couple minutes of silence, Vanellope glanced towards her alarm clock. "Tomorrow is gonna be hell. Well, technically today. I haven't slept at all."

"I'm not going." Taffyta suddenly said.

"Why?" Vanellope asked.

"A lot of stress. I'm gonna get sick tomorrow. Well….today." Taffyta spoke as if from experience.

"Get sick? What makes you so sure?" Vanellope asked.

"Whenever I go through a lot of stress one day, I'm always sick in the morning. I get a cold or something like that." Taffyta sniffed. "I'm probably already sick."

"Aww, well if you're sick, then I'm taking care of you." Vanellope squeezed Taffyta tighter.

"You just want an excuse to stay home." Taffyta smiled.

"Hey, I'm wanting to care for my poor, sick wittle baby." Vanellope grinned. "Also, a day off would be nice."

Taffyta giggled. Once again, even when she had been more upset than she'd been in a really long time, Vanellope still made her smile.

"You reckon we ought to go to sleep?" Vanellope asked.

"Sure, why not." Taffyta was exhausted. She wondered how many calories she'd burned after all the crying she'd done.

"Should I take these off." Vanellope asked as she crawled off the bed. She pointed at her outfit. "I mean, these aren't technically pajamas."

Taffyta giggled again as she stood up. "I don't care. You look cute either way."

"That's sweet of you to say that, but come on." Vanellope made her way to her closet. "No one looks cute in basketball shorts."

"Except you." Taffyta added.

"Whatever." Vanellope looked over at Taffyta. "Those aren't exactly pajamas either."

"No." Taffyta shook her head, looking down at her sweatshirt and jeans. "That reminds me, can I use your shower?"

Vanellope looked at her for a moment. "Uh, I suppose. Why?"

"I didn't have time to shower after tennis today, so I just really need one. Care to smell?" Taffyta lifted her arm.

"Sure, why the hell not?" Vanellope began to come over to her.

"No, I'm kidding!" Taffyta laughed. She bumped Vanellope with her shoulder as she walked by. "You got anything I can sleep in?"

"Bed."

"I meant clothes."

"Nothing but dirty laundry." Vanellope admitted. "I might have some boxers in there, but nothing else." She pointed to a drawer.

"Boxers?" Taffyta asked.

"Yeah, what, you've never worn boxers?" Vanellope shook her head. "You're missing out. They're perfect for weekends, hot summer days, and for cuddling with your girlfriend." She winked.

"Okay, okay, I'll try 'em." Taffyta blushed. She retrieved a pair of red plaid boxer shorts. "Did you specifically walk to the men's section in a store to buy these?"

"They certainly weren't in the produce section." Vanellope joked. She reached into another drawer and pulled out a white t-shirt. "There's a top for you, just in case you want it."

"Thanks." Taffyta huffed a laugh and kissed Vanellope's cheek. "And thanks for cheering me up."

"The pleasure was all mine. Seriously, I should be thanking you for laughing at my terrible jokes."

"Your jokes are great." Taffyta told her before walking towards Vanellope's bedroom door.

"Be real quiet, okay?" Vanellope advised. "The bathroom is the first door on the left, and you really need to yank on the shower nozzle to get hot water, 'kay?"

"'Kay. I already know where the bathroom is." Taffyta nodded, turning the doorknob.

"Don't slip and break a hip." Vanellope laughed.

Taffyta stuck her tongue out at Vanellope before leaving her room.

* * *

Taffyta's temporary absence gave Vanellope time to think. She'd taken the shirt and shorts off, and was now lying under the covers in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The lamp was still on, for she didn't want to fall asleep before Taffyta finished showering. (She couldn't even if she tried, anyway). The only sounds in the room were the hum of the air conditioner and the faint noise coming from the bathroom shower. She wondered if Taffyta would even use her cheep generic shampoo. Taffyta probably had salon-quality stuff, or at least something that smelt nice. Taffyta's hair usually smelled like strawberries, but would probably just smell like soap after she finished that night.

Vanellope's thoughts wandered to Candela. She'd sort of watered down her reaction to Candela kissing Taffyta earlier, but now that Taffyta was out of the room, Vanellope could get as red-faced angry as she wanted.

There must've been something up with Candela for her to think kissing Taffyta was somehow okay. Candela knew perfectly well that Taffyta was Vanellope's girlfriend. Everyone at Carson High knew it! Did Candela think she could just kiss Taffyta and then hope Taffyta would forget about it? What could she possibly plan to do to somehow take Taffyta away from Vanellope?

Vanellope used to think Candela was just an all-muscle/no-brains person. I mean, she was nice and all, but ask her to name off the state capitols, and she might be able to name ten on a good day. But it seemed, according to what Taffyta had told her, as if Taffyta had played right into Candela's game. Leaving the volleyball game early, making sure it was just her and Taffyta. Candela had planned it that way. She had to have. She took advantage of Taffyta's good nature multiple times, making her feel guilty and making her pity Candela like she was a lost, lovestruck little gay girl like Taffyta had been in middle school. Then, according to Taffyta's explanation, she started with the whole "forget about me, you don't care, I'm worthless" routine, which only made Taffyta feel worse, and used Taffyta's stress problems against her. (Vanellope hadn't even known Taffyta had trouble with stress until tonight). Taffyta pitied the little tramp and hugged her because she wanted to make her feel better, but no! Candela was greedy and was only after Taffyta's affection and not her friendship, which is why she kissed her. In Taffyta'a heightened state of emotions, Vanellope understood why Taffyta liked the kiss. Even though she'd been dating Vanellope for over two weeks, before meeting Vanellope, Taffyta was just an introverted, confused and inexperienced gay girl who didn't even know she lived within five hundred kilometers of another lesbian, let alone went to the same school as one. (Or two. Vanellope doubted the whole "Taffyta's the only girl I've ever liked" act Candela was putting on. She was probably a downright queer but wasn't as brave as Taffyta to admit her true identity).

By this point, Vanellope was convinced Candela was an evil genius who was just posing as an airhead tennis player just so she could hook up with Taffyta. Not very likely, but still….the bottom line was Vanellope didn't like Candela, and she was definitely going to give that girl a good piece of her mind ASAP.

Or maybe Candela was a stressed girl who was going through an identity crisis because she was straight but had a crush on a girl, and she'd just followed her feelings and kissed Taffyta when she had the opportunity. Maybe she really was an airhead tennis player who was suddenly fascinated not by the female gender but by a single member of said gender. Maybe she had done what Vanellope would have done in her position.

Or maybe Candela's brainwashing magic was working over Vanellope!

Vanellope vowed that as soon as she would see Candela Crawford anywhere at anytime, she'd give her a good talk that would make her think twice about mooching on her girlfriend's sweetness again.

Vanellope was broken out of her vengeful thoughts when her bedroom door opened. Taffyta entered, wearing the white t-shirt and the red boxers, carrying the clothes she'd come with. She sat her clothes near the wall. "I will admit, boxers are comfy."

"Let's the air flow freely, right?" Vanellope asked.

Taffyta giggled. She came over to the bed. She pulled back the covers to see Vanellope was back in the attire she'd been wearing when Taffyta first knocked on her window. "You stick to your word, don't you?"

"Yeah." Vanellope nodded. "Now come here. I have a lot of stuff I want to stop thinking about, so I need some cuddle time."

"You and me both." Taffyta admitted. She lied down next to Vanellope as she switched off the lamp.

Taffyta rested her head on Vanellope's shoulder. Vanellope was right, Taffyta's hair was no longer strawberry scented, which mildly disappointed her. She kissed Taffyta on the head anyway. "I love you."

Taffyta looked up at her and smiled. She brought her hand up to Vanellope's face and pulled her closer before she kissed her.

This session of kissing required the two to pause to breathe before continuing a couple times. Taffyta had lifted herself off the bed in order to get a less awkward angle on the kiss, and now she was straddling Vanellope's hips. Vanellope kept her arms around Taffyta's waist the whole time.

Once they ended their longer-than-usual kiss, Taffyta lied her head right next to Vanellope's, keeping her face close enough for her nose to touch Vanellope's cheek. She didn't bother returning to Vanellope's side, opting instead to lie on Vanellope. She rested her hips to her side, though, to avoid crushing her. She kept her shoulders resting on Vanellope's chest. Their legs were entangled with each other. "From now on, we kiss more often, okay?"

Vanellope nodded, noticeably blushing. "Agreed." One thing prevailed over the course of Vanellope's relationship with Taffyta, and that thing was the fact that Taffyta was getting better and better at kissing. She wouldn't mind kissing her more. One other thing that had progressed nicely was their cuddling. That first night Taffyta had spent with Vanellope over two weeks ago, she had thought that that was as good as cuddling gets, but she was fortunately mistaken. You could always get closer, and you could always wear less clothing. (Vanellope was glad Taffyta was comfortable with being with her while in her underwear for multiple reasons, including the fact that she was no longer obligated to get dressed on the weekends for when Taffyta would visit. Why waste perfectly clean clothes, right?)

At least their kiss and their cuddling was enough to get Vanellope's mind off of that no good Candela Crawford. No matter what that girl tried, she'd never be able to get where Vanellope was with Taffyta. Taffyta trusted Vanellope and thought of her as her girlfriend and her lover. Candela was just the girl Taffyta played tennis with sometimes. Vanellope was confident that Candela would not cause anymore trouble with Taffyta or Vanellope, especially after Vanellope would give her a good talking to. But for now, and for the next day, since Vanellope had her heart set on not going to school, she'd spend time with Taffyta, no one else. She wouldn't worry about school, or Candela, or anything except for Taffyta. Everything would be fine.

She just hoped she wouldn't miss anything important at school.…


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Five hours later, Vanellope's alarm went off.

"Mmmmm….ugh." Vanellope moaned. She looked down at Taffyta, who was resting her head just under Vanellope's chin. She was drooling on her, no surprise there. Taffyta hadn't woken up, even with the alarm blaring.

"Taffy." Vanellope shook her gently.

Taffyta groaned and opened her eyes. She looked at Vanellope. "Uh…." was all she could get out.

"Are we staying home?" Vanellope croaked.

"Uh…." Taffyta said again, plopping her head back down on Vanellope's chest.

"I'm gonna tell Ralph I'm sick. Meanwhile, you need to hide." Vanellope told her.

"Uh…."

"Stop that." Vanellope stretched her arm towards her alarm clock and was barely able to switch it off. "Go hide in the closet."

"Uh…."

"Taffy." Vanellope pushed Taffyta off of her and tried to make her sit up. "Ralph can't know you're here."

"Vanny…." At least she remembered names.

"Go to the closet. I promise, you can come back to bed soon."

"Bed soon…." Taffyta repeated.

Vanellope got up to her feet and wrapped her arms around Taffyta to try to get her up. "Come on."

"Basketballs…." Taffyta grumbled, pointing at Vanellope's panties.

"Taffyta, I think you're on a hangover." Vanellope giggled. "Do I have to carry you?"

"Mm…." That sounded sort of like a yes.

"Okay, fine, you baby." Vanellope hooked an arm under Taffyta's legs and the other around her shoulders. She lifted her up, causing Taffyta's head to flop right against her chest.

"To the closet with you." Vanellope carried her to her closet. "You're gonna have to stand."

"Mm…."

Vanellope sat Taffyta's feet down and helped Taffyta into the closet. "I'll be right back. I love you."

"Love…." Taffyta mumbled.

"You're definitely on a hangover." Vanellope chuckled before closing the closet door. She went to her hamper and fished out a nightshirt. She put it on and ventured to the living room.

Ralph sat on the couch dressed in a flannel shirt and overalls, sipping on a mug of coffee. "Vanellope, shouldn't you be getting dressed for school?" He asked.

"I feel like crap." She groaned, which wasn't a lie.

"What's wrong?" Ralph asked, getting to his feet.

"My head, my throat…." Her head did kind of hurt. Her throat, not so much. That was just sort of a throw in.

"Need some of my allergy medicine?" He asked.

"Sure." Vanellope followed Ralph to the kitchen.

Ralph retrieved an allergy pill from a drawer and a glass of water. He handed them to Vanellope. "There."

She took the medicine. "Can I stay home?"

"Is it really that bad?" Ralph asked.

"Yes." Vanellope nodded.

"Are you gonna miss anything important?" Ralph asked.

"Not that I know of." She shook her head.

Ralph sighed. "Fine. You're going tomorrow, though."

"'Kay." Vanellope nodded.

"I'll call you in sick. Stay at home, okay?"

"Okay." Vanellope nodded.

Ralph grabbed his keys, wallet, and phone from the dining table. He came over and hugged Vanellope. "Feel better, okay?"

"Okay." Vanellope hugged him back.

Vanellope waited until Ralph had left for work before going back to her room. She went to the closet and opened the door.

"Ahh!" Taffyta jumped when the door was suddenly opened. "Oh, Vanny, you scared me."

"Feeling better?" Vanellope asked, taking her hand to lead her out of the closet.

"No." She admitted. "Ugh, my head."

"Mine, too." Vanellope kissed her cheek. "You need to get your mom to call you in sick."

"'Kay. My phone's in my jeans." She pointed to where she'd sat her clothes the night before. "You get it?"

"Sure." Vanellope led Taffyta back to the bed, then went to dig Taffyta's phone out of her clothes. She brought it back to Taffyta.

"Taffy, honey?" Taffyta heard her mother answer the phone.

"Hi mom." Taffyta greeted, her voice croaking slightly.

"Are you okay? Are you at Vanellope's?" Sofia asked.

"Yeah."

"Are you okay? I found your note."

Taffyta had left a note on her bed to let Sofia know she'd gone to Vanellope's. "I don't feel well. Can you call me in sick?"

"I guess so." Sofia answered. "Can I speak to Vanellope? Is she there?"

Taffyta handed her phone to Vanellope. "She wants to speak to you."

"Uh oh." Vanellope cautiously took the phone. "Mrs. Muttonfudge?"

"Vanellope?" She responded.

"Speaking."

"Is there anyone there who can take care of Taffyta?" She asked.

"I'm here. I'm staying home; I'm sick, too."

"Okay." Sofia was silent for a moment. "Can I trust you two to stay at your house?"

"Yes, ma'am." Vanellope answered.

"I trust you, Vanellope. Don't do anything you shouldn't."

Vanellope put her hand over the phone and whispered to Taffyta. "She's acting like my mother-in-law."

Taffyta giggled. "Be nice."

"Yes, ma'am." Vanellope said into the phone.

"Why exactly did she go over to your house?" Sofia asked.

"Uh, you know….I don't know how to explain it." Vanellope said. "Typical teenage drama stuff. She needed to talk to me."

Taffyta suddenly took the phone. "I'll explain everything soon, okay?"

"Is everything okay at school?" Sofia asked.

"Yes, mom." Taffyta answered.

"Is everything okay between you and Vanellope?"

"Of course, mom."

"Good." Sofia sighed. "I need to get to work. I'll call the school. You stay safe."

"Love you, mom."

"I love you, sweetie."

Taffyta hung up and tossed her phone back to her clothes. She subsequently flopped down on the bed. "Ugh."

"Let's rest." Vanellope said, crawling up next to Taffyta. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm okay." Taffyta shook her head.

Vanellope held her hand and kissed her cheek. "Okay." She lied down next to her. "Just rest, okay? You need it."

"Okay." Taffyta rolled onto her side.

Vanellope scooted up behind her and wrapped her arms around Taffyta. "I love you."

"Love you, too, Vanny."

"Sweet dreams."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Slowly but surely, Candela's plan was all beginning to fall into place.

She'd arrived at school earlier than usual, all in an effort to wait for Taffyta to arrive. She stood near the front entrance to the school, leaning again the wall as she watched student after student enter. She continuously grew more and more impatient for Taffyta had yet to arrive. As time ticked closer and closer to the warning bell, and as she watched storm clouds approach from the distance, Candela slowly began to realize that perhaps Taffyta wasn't going to be at school today. She'd yet to see her or her girlfriend Vanellope enter. She couldn't be too certain, of course. Sure, she knew that Taffyta always drove Vanellope to school, and the front entrance was the closest entrance to the student parking lot, but they could have entered through a different entrance.

The warning bell rang, and Candela decided it was time to go to class. She had ways of finding out if or if not Taffyta and Vanellope were at school.

Before heading to her first class, Candela found one of her tennis teammates. Crumbelina di Carmelo, dressed in a gold blouse and black skirt, had been a friend of Candela's for years. Not to mention, Candela also knew Crumbelina's first class was with Vanellope. She knew this front seeing them enter the same classroom at the beginnings of many days. Candela went up to Crumbelina as she was walking to class. "Crumbles."

"Hi." She smiled at Candela.

"Could you do me a favor?" Candela asked.

Crumbelina shrugged. She'd helped tutor Candela on many occasions, so she thought Candela was just asking for help on an assignment. "Sure, what is it?"

"You know who Vanellope Von Schweetz is, right?" Candela asked.

"Yeah, she's in my Health class."

"That's your first class, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. After first period, come tell me if Vanellope was in class."

Crumbelina was silent for a moment. This was not a request she was used to coming from Candela. Then again, it wasn't a very hard task, plus she wasn't a very nosy person, so she didn't really feel like asking why Candela needed to know. "No prob."

"Thanks. Meet me at the end of this hall after first period."

They parted ways. Candela hoped Vanellope would be absent from school, along with Taffyta. That would make her task a whole lot easier.

After first period, she met Crumbelina back at the end of the hall they'd agreed upon. "She wasn't there." Crumbelina informed Candela.

"Okay." Candela nodded, smiling. "Thanks."

"Why exactly did you need to know?" Crumbelina couldn't help but ask.

Candela was silent for a moment, going over what to say in her head before speaking it. "I….heard a rumor about Vanellope. I was just wondering if she was here."

"What rumor?" Crumbelina asked.

"I'll tell you later. I need to get to class." Candela said dismissively. "See you at practice."

"Wait." Crumbelina called.

Candela pretended like she didn't hear her as she walked away. This was perfect! Vanellope wasn't at school. Now all she needed to was know if Taffyta wasn't there, either. She could not have dreamed for today to have worked more perfectly.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Vanellope was shocked awake by a sudden and loud crash of thunder coming from outside. She stared at the ceiling and listened to the rain, and perhaps hail, pelting the roof.

Since falling asleep, she'd fallen away from Taffyta and was now lying on her back, although her arm was still wedged under Taffyta's body from when she had been hugging her from behind.("spooning", right?) She couldn't feel that arm, so she attempted to tug it out from under Taffyta. She had to yank on it multiple times to free it, and once she did, the pins and needles ensued as feeling returned to her hand.

Vanellope looked over Taffyta to see her alarm clock. 10:34. It had been about three hours since she and Taffyta had returned to bed.

Once the nervous pain in her arm began to subside, Vanellope decided to get up for a moment. It was amazing that on weekends, Vanellope could sleep until noon when she wanted to, but on weekdays, it was hard to stay asleep. Of course, cuddling with Taffyta made it easier.

Vanellope used the bathroom, went to the kitchen to get a drink of water, and checked outside to watch the rain. It was one heck of a storm. Water running down the window blurred out the dark gray clouds and the little white specks if hail hopping around on the concrete. Vanellope was really happy she was home. She wouldn't want to be out in that.

"Vanny." She heard. Vanellope turned around to see Taffyta, rubbing her eye. The shirt she was wearing had somehow gotten partially tucked into her boxers, which were pulled up higher than normal. Her hair was no longer perfectly smooth and shiny. Some of it covered her face, with portions of it awkwardly sticking out. Her cheek shined with drool she'd yet to wipe away.

It took Vanellope moment to respond. Wow, Taffyta looked so freaking cute! "How do you feel?" Vanellope asked.

"Like crap. It feels like someone's smashing my head with a mallet." She grumbled. "You weren't in bed. I wondered where you went."

Vanellope approached her. "I'll come back to bed. I was just getting some water." She put her hand to Taffyta's non-drooled-on cheek and kissed her nose. "Do you need an ibuprofen or something?"

"Sure." Taffyta nodded.

"You just go lie back down. I'll bring you a pain reliever and some water, okay?"

Taffyta nodded, turned, and trudged back to Vanellope's bedroom. As Vanellope watched her go, she could not help but giggle silently when she saw the wedgie Taffyta had. All in all, Vanellope wouldn't mind waking up every morning to Taffyta looking like that. She'd rather her feel better, though.

Vanellope retrieved a ibuprofen and a glass of water from the kitchen and brought it back to her room. She found Taffyta curled into the fetal position on the bed, covering her eyes with her arm. She hasn't even bothered to pull the covers on.

"Migraines are hell." Vanellope said to Taffyta, sitting the water and pill on the nightstand.

Taffyta croaked in agreement.

"Here's your medicine." Vanellope held up the pill. "You want it?"

Taffyta groaned as she sat up. She barely opened her eyes as Vanellope handed her the pill and water. She took the medicine, drank the whole glass, then flopped back down on the bed, laying her arm across her eyes again. "I welcome death." She moaned.

Vanellope scoffed a laugh. "I'm sorry you feel like crap, baby." She rubbed her head gently. "It'll get better."

Another loud crash of thunder rolled from outside. Taffyta flinched. "I hate thunder." She grumbled.

What a curse to have a migraine headache during a thunderstorm. "Taffy, do you want an ice pack?" Vanellope asked.

"I'm fine." She groaned, rolling over. She tucked her knees back up to her chest.

Vanellope sighed. She lied down behind Taffyta and pulled the covers over them. She didn't want to full-on hug Taffyta. She knew from her own experiences that people with migraines didn't like to be messed with too much. They just needed to get to sleep in order to stop suffering.

Vanellope couldn't sleep. Taffyta's occasional soft croak of agony plagued her ears. She wanted her to feel better, but knew of nothing else to do for her.

After a few short minutes, Vanellope got back out of bed. She figured the least she could do was make breakfast for Taffyta.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

At around lunch time, Taffyta wandered into the kitchen. She was apparently conscious enough to have untucked her shirt from her now more comfortably adjusted boxers. She'd fixed her hair (sort of), and had wiped all the drool from her face. Her blue eyes were now all the way open and fully visible.

Vanellope had set out a plate of scrambled eggs and strawberry pancakes for Taffyta. She'd already eaten her breakfast about an hour earlier. She had been waiting at the dining table for Taffyta, watching the rain and drawing on some paper.

"How you feeling?" Vanellope asked when Taffyta walked in.

"Better." Taffyta came over and sat down at the dining table. "My head doesn't hurt as much."

"Good." Vanellope came over and kissed her head. "I get migraines on occasion. I know they're terrible."

"Yeah." Taffyta nodded. "Thanks for making me breakfast."

"No problem, my Taffy girl." Vanellope said as she retrieved a jug of milk from the refrigerator.

"'Taffy girl'?" Taffyta asked, taking a bite of eggs.

"I've been thinking about how I don't have an actual cute little pet name for you." Vanellope poured a glass of milk for Taffyta. "I mean, I call you Taffy, but so do your parents, and Citrusella and Minty do, too, I think." She came back over and sat the glass of milk next to Taffyta's plate. "So I came up with 'my Taffy girl'. Because you're my Taffy, and my girl."

Taffyta grinned, looking down at her food and blushed. "You're too sweet, Vanellope."

"It's a curse." Vanellope went back to her original seat. She picked up her doodle paper and looked at it for a moment. "Sometimes when I'm bored, I just draw whatever's on my mind." She slid the paper over to Taffyta.

On the paper was an almost flawless portrait of Taffyta. "Drawing-Taffyta" was smiling, a flower in her hair. Next to the drawing were the words "my Taffy girl".

"I made sure to draw your smile as beautiful as the actual thing." Vanellope said.

Taffyta grinned, hanging her head down. It felt as if her heart was doing cartwheels. She didn't want to cry (she'd done enough of that), but she felt like it. "Vanellope, I love you." She smiled at her.

"Love you, too." Vanellope smiled. "Since there wasn't anything else I could do to make you feel better earlier, I just made you stuff." She shrugged.

Taffyta sighed, staring at the drawing for a few more moments. "It looks exactly like me. How did you draw it without looking at me?"

"It's not the—" Vanellope paused abruptly. She was about to tell Taffyta that she'd drawn her a bunch of other times in her journal, but she figured that would be a little weird. This was the first time Vanellope had drawn Taffyta since she met her over two weeks ago. "I just….remember how you look. It's hard to forget."

Taffyta continued staring at the drawing. "I wish I could make something like this for you."

"That's okay." Vanellope assured her. "I don't need gifts from you. You're enough of a gift to me."

Taffyta sighed. She felt like throwing something at Vanellope, out of love, mind you. Taffyta hadn't known Vanellope could be this fricking smooth. She was one of those people who didn't reveal her true personality until you really got to know them, and boy, was Taffyta one of the luck few to see Vanellope's true colors. Indeed, Vanellope was an artist through and through. "Thank you." Taffyta said one more time.

Vanellope smiled lopsidedly. "My pleasure, Taffy girl."

((Smooth Vanellope is smooth. :P))

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Taffyta was not at tennis practice. Everything was going perfectly for Candela.

Because of the weather, the tennis team stayed inside and practiced in the gym. It wasn't really much if a practice, what, with no tennis nets or essential tennis court markings. The players pretty much just hit the ball around to each other as they stood in a circle.

Afterwards, while the players were changing in the locker room, Candela put forth the next step in her plan. She went over to Crumbelina, who was changing from her tennis skirt to her casual skirt. "Okay, so about that rumor about Vanellope I mentioned earlier."

Crumbelina looked at her as she tossed her tennis skirt into her locker and grabbed her black boots. "Yeah?" She asked.

Candela looked around at all the other tennis players. She made sure to speak loud enough so they could all hear her. "I think I know why Taffyta isn't here today." Her teammates glanced over at her. "Her girlfriend isn't here, either."

"Why?" Crumbelina asked.

Candela did her best to not smile. She inhaled deeply before saying "I heard Taffyta's girlfriend broke up with her."

Her teammates murmured to each other in concern. "But….they just came out. How can they just break up just like that?" One of the tennis players, a junior named Andi, asked.

"I don't know. Ask Vanellope." Candela sighed. "That's why neither Taffyta nor Vanellope came to school today. They're probably emotional wrecks."

The warning bell rang. The tennis players finished getting dressed as they continued chattering about what Candela had said. Candela got plenty of questions asked to her, but she kept saying "That's all I know."

Before everyone began leaving, Candela called for their attention one more time. "There is one possibility why they broke up, though."

"What?" Crumbelina asked.

Candela tried not to smile, but let the corners of her mouth curl up a little bit. "I heard Taffyta cheated on Vanellope."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

**((I apologize for the long hiatus. A combination of the summer blues and writer's block kind of docked my productivity. Plus, I had some trouble with my Internet. Nevertheless, enjoy the twentieth chapter of CoCH. I can't believe how long I've been working on this story!))**

Vanellope and Taffyta had spent the whole day together, but when Ralph arrived home at around five, Taffyta quickly had to change back into her hoodie and jeans and sneak out Vanellope's bedroom window. She took the drawing of herself as well as the boxers Vanellope had let her keep with her.

After getting dressed in a tank top and denim shorts, Vanellope then proceeded to ask Ralph if she could go visit Taffyta. (Because she TOTALLY hadn't seen her all day). Ralph allowed it. Vanellope was able to catch up with Taffyta as they walked to her house.

It had stopped raining. Water was running down the side on the road like rapids. The sky was still gray, but the weather seemed to not have effected Vanellope's day with Taffyta. Besides Taffyta's migraine headache, today had been one of the best Vanellope had spent with her girlfriend. Just the two of them.

They played video games for a while once they got to Taffyta's house, Vanellope finally getting used to playing on Taffyta's PlayStation 4. Taffyta's mother returned home at around seven and prepared a spaghetti dinner for three.

"While at work," Sofia said as she, her daughter, and Vanellope sat at the dining table, "The TV in the lounge was showing a national news show, and they were talking about a certain hashtag that had gone viral on social media."

Taffyta blushed, eating each strand of spaghetti one at a time. "Oh, really?" She asked.

"'IHeartTaffyta', I think it was." Sofia chuckled. "Would someone like to explain how that happened? Because I don't know of any other 'Taffytas' in the world."

"Did Taffyta not tell you? We came out Monday." Vanellope explained.

Sofia froze. "Came out, as in—"

"Everyone knows I'm gay, and everyone knows Vanellope's my girlfriend." Taffyta said. "It….it's a pretty long and complicated story."

"Do tell." Sofia said.

Taffyta explained her problem with Rancis, the tweet the quarterback had sent out, and why she and Vanellope decided to come out. "Rancis got a bunch of backlash for that tweet, and someone came up with 'hashtag IHeartTaffyta' to support me. And Vanellope, I guess."

Vanellope chuckled. "I wouldn't mind 'hashtag IHeartVanellope' going viral, but I guess Taffyta can handle the pressure of being famous."

"So it was on a national news show?" Taffyta asked her mom.

"Yes!" Sofia nodded. "They talked about how it originated at Carson High. Apparently now it's a symbol all around the country. Thousands of people are using it to show their support."

Taffyta sighed. "I never wanted to be a spokesperson for gay rights. Sure, I support it, but, I mean, I never wanted to be a spokesperson for anything."

"I can handle the speaking if you need me to." Vanellope offered.

Taffyta giggled. "I imagine you saying something like 'Lay off the gays, bruh. They my homies.'"

Vanellope giggled. "You're exactly right."

"On that news show, they mentioned Taffyta is 'the daughter of pro football player Lucas Muttonfudge.' I guess that means they got parental permission from him to broadcast your name across the county." Sofia chuckled. "I'll be giving your father a call later."

"When is he coming home?" Taffyta asked.

"Next week is their bye-week. He'll be flying in on Monday, I think." Sofia said. "I'm sure he'll love meeting you, Vanellope."

"I get to hang with your NFL player father?" Vanellope asked Taffyta. "Can I get his autograph?"

"You're gonna ask your girlfriend's father for an autograph?" Taffyta asked, laughing.

Vanellope thought about that for a moment. "I guess that would be weird. 'Hi, I'm in love with your daughter! Can I have your autograph?'"

"'In love'?" Sofia asked quizzically.

Vanellope looked at her. "Uh….figure of speech."

Sofia nodded, looking away for a moment. "So how has school been now that you're apparently famous?" She asked Taffyta.

"I get a lot more attention." Taffyta laughed. "It's really uncomfortable."

"Is that why you wanted to stay home today?" Sofia asked.

"She had a killer migraine." Vanellope vouched for Taffyta.

"Oh." Sofia took a bite of spaghetti. "You stayed home, too." She said to Vanellope.

"I wasn't feeling well, but I also wanted to take care of Taffyta." Vanellope admitted. "Ralph doesn't exactly know Taffyta was over at my house…."

"Your father never knew?" Sofia asked.

Vanellope shrugged. "I didn't want him to know my girlfriend had snuck into my room at two a.m.. I just would have had to explain all of that….stuff…."

"Oh, that reminds me." Sofia sat her fork down and looked at Taffyta. "Why did you go over to her house in the middle of the night. What was wrong?"

Taffyta's breathing hitched for a moment, trying to think of a way to explain it. "Another long story. Basically….you know Candela Crawford, right? She's on my tennis team…."

"The name rings a bell." Sofia nodded.

"Well, on Monday, she told me she was gay." Taffyta said.

"Oh, okay." Sofia's eyebrows went up.

"Then she admitted that she had a crush on me." Taffyta added.

"Oh!" Sofia exclaimed in surprise. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her that I was flattered that she trusted me enough for her to tell me that stuff, but I also told her I was taken."

"Okay, okay." Sofia nodded.

"Me and Vanellope talked about it Monday afternoon, and on Tuesday, I invited Candela to come to a volleyball game with me, Vanellope, and a couple of other friends in hopes that Candela would begin to think of me and Vanellope as just friends."

"But that didn't work out, I take it?" Sofia asked.

"No. Candela asked me to take her home before the game ended because she was getting emotional, and…." Taffyta sighed, twirling a piece of pasta with her fork. "When I took her home, she got more upset, and I got upset and felt guilty, so I hugged her, and she….she kissed me."

"Really?" Sofia exclaimed.

"Yeah." Taffyta chose to leave out the part about partially liking it. She glanced at Vanellope, who was staring at her half-eaten pasta. "I felt really really guilty, because I felt like I'd betrayed Vanellope, so that's why I had to go talk to her. She understood that it was Candela's doing, and she forgave me."

"It wasn't your fault." Vanellope shook her head, keeping her eyes trained on her food.

"That's why I had a migraine this morning. It was all the stress from last night." Taffyta admitted.

Sofia nodded, looking at the tile floor. "Okay, thank you for telling me. That's hardly typical teenage drama, though."

Vanellope shrugged. "I didn't exactly want to explain it over the phone."

"That's alright. The good thing is you two are still together."

"Of course, mom." Taffyta nodded.

"Good. I really care about your relationship."

"Thanks, mom." Taffyta smiled.

They got back to eating their meal and having more casual conversations about schoolwork and the thunderstorm from earlier that day. After they finished eating, Vanellope and Taffyta returned to playing video games while Sofia used her laptop to do some work-related stuff. This continued until Sofia advised Taffyta and Vanellope to head to bed soon before she herself retired to her bedroom.

Vanellope called Ralph to tell him she was staying at Taffyta's. She then went upstairs with Taffyta to her room. They took turns taking showers, so now they both had strawberry scented hair. Since she hadn't brought a change of clothes, Taffyta gave Vanellope the pair of boxers back for the night and let her borrow a t-shirt to sleep in. Meanwhile, Taffyta wore an double-XL shirt covered in tennis balls to bed.

They lied side-by-side each other, holding hands, leaning their heads against each other on Taffyta's pillow. It surprisingly did not take long for them to fall asleep.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Taffyta got a lot more weird glances from people than she had gotten over the past couple days. And she hadn't even finished her first class yet.

She tried her best to pay attention to her Health teacher explaining metabolism, but she kept getting the feeling of multiple pairs of eyes pinned to her. She tried to distract herself from this feeling by taking some notes, even though she never needed to take notes to make an A in a blowoff class like Health. Her pencil eventually broke just as the teacher began handing out busywork, so Taffyta had to go to the front of the class to the pencil sharpener. She afforded one quick glance at twenty-five pairs of eyes looking at her. Why? This was day six of the school knowing of her sexual preferences, and yet, she seemed to be getting way more attention than usual.

Taffyta hastily sharpened her pencil, but her face was already burning from embarrassment once she sat back down at her desk. The black jacket she was wearing over her pink-and-white dress suddenly felt like a greenhouse, and Taffyta probably would have taken it off, although she wasn't sure if the shoulder straps on her dress would comply with the school dress code.

Once Taffyta finished her paper, she once again had to stand up in front of the class to turn the paper in. Once she sat back down, she took out her phone to try to once again distract herself, this time by playing a racing game Vanellope had suggested to her.

Once everyone finished their papers, the class was allowed to converse among themselves. Taffyta could have sworn she had heard her name spoken multiple times, as well as Vanellope's name. She tried not to worry about it and continued to race her pink Ferrari on her phone.

Class ended, and as Taffyta began making her way to her next class, tennis teammate Crumbelina came up next to her. "Uh, where were you yesterday?" She asked, smiling nervously.

"I had a migraine headache." Taffyta explained. She clutched her books and binders to her chest. "I'm good now."

"You sure?" Crumbelina asked.

Taffyta moved her eyes around the hall as she walked. It seemed like everyone at least glanced at her. "Yeah, I'm sure." She answered.

"Nothing else is wrong?"

Taffyta shook her head. "No…." Her response sounded more like a question.

Crumbelina nodded, staring off into space for a moment. "Okay." She was silent for a few more steps. "See you at practice." She went off away from Taffyta.

Taffyta was about to chase after her to try and get an explanation of some sort. Why was everyone acting so weird around her?

Taffyta entered her next class only for every student there to watch her as she went to her seat. She looked back at them in a quizzical way, silently wondering what their deal was.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

During Activity Period, she found out.

She met up with Vanellope, Minty, and Citrusella at their usual spot. Her girlfriend plus two friends initially didn't notice her approaching. They were engaged in an apparently enthralling conversation. "Hi, girls," Taffyta finally had to say.

"I broke up with you?" Vanellope suddenly asked her.

"Huh?" Taffyta asked.

"This rumor has been going around." Minty explained, standing up when she saw Taffyta. "Everyone was saying that the reason you and Vanny weren't at school yesterday was because you two broke up!"

"Why would anyone think that?" Taffyta asked.

"I don't know! It's a rumor, you know how rumors are." Minty responded.

"I didn't believe it." Citrusella said, fiddling with the zipper on her leather jacket. "You two are way too perfect for each other to break up just like that."

"That's what I said!" Vanellope exclaimed, standing up. "People have been looking at me weird all day!"

"Me, too." Taffyta informed her. "Because everyone thinks….who broke up with who?"

"People think Vanellope broke up with you." Minty explained. "They say it was because you cheated on her?" Minty asked Taffyta.

"That's what I couldn't believe." Citrusella said, now hooking and unhooking the chain on her belt over and over. "How could you possibly cheat on Vanellope? And who with?"

Taffyta felt her face heat up like it did in first period. She did not want to explain the whole "Candela situation".

"My question is this." Minty said. "Who would start a rumor like this? Why would anyone want to spread lies about you two?"

"Yeah, I mean, you're an adorable couple." Citrusella added.

"Exactly!" Vanellope pointed at Citrusella.

"Who would want to…." Taffyta thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "Wait a minute."

"What?" Minty asked.

Taffyta grabbed Vanellope's hand. "A moment, please." She pulled Vanellope along as she ran around a corner, leaving behind a confused Minty and Citrusella.

"What, Taff?" Vanellope asked.

"Candela!" Taffyta whisper-yelled at Vanellope. "She's the only one who could possibly know about this whole thing! She kissed me, which basically means I cheated on you, so you break up with me. That's where she went with this!"

Vanellope was frozen with her mouth hanging open for a moment. "I think you're right." She said. "But….why? What does she hope to gain?"

"Well, everyone thinks you and I are single now." Taffyta pondered. "But—"

The school bell rang.

"What do we do? I don't want people to think we broke up. Especially if people think you cheated on me!" Vanellope said. "Everyone probably thinks you're the bad guy."

"Oh my god, you're right." Taffyta sighed. "How do we fix this?"

"I don't know."

Minty and Citrusella came around the corner. "I'm off to Art." Minty said. "At lunch, we figure this out."

"Okay." Vanellope nodded.

"I'll try to spread the truth, okay?" Citrusella offered. "I'll tell everyone in my Journalism class that you two are still together." She went on her way with Minty.

Vanellope gasped. "Journalism….the school newspaper! We can get them to help straighten things out!"

"Like, an interview or something?" Taffyta asked.

"Yeah. They release a new paper on Monday."

"So, maybe at lunch, we go to the newspaper classroom?"

"Yeah." Vanellope nodded. "We should probably get to class."

"Walk with me. Maybe if people see us holding hands, they'll….think we made up, I guess?"

Vanellope and Taffyta reentered into the building hand-in-hand, incurring even more confused looks than before.

"Maybe a kiss would do the trick?" Vanellope asked.

"Not necessary." Taffyta shook her head.

They split off once they reached their respective classrooms, and once again, Taffyta was greeted by a dozen pairs of eyes as she found her seat. Though holding hands with Vanellope may have gotten a few people to think their relationship was okay, there were plenty more students who still thought Taffyta was a no-good cheater. She wanted to fix this as soon as possible.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The newspaper class was closed. Apparently the newspaper students were off on a field trip to the city newspaper.

Vanellope and Taffyta ate lunch outside with Minty and Citrusella. "Me trying to explain that you two never broke up just started a big debate in my class." Citrusella explained. "They thoroughly convinced me that you two did break up, even though I know you didn't. Ugh, journalists."

"Everyone is talking about it." Minty said. "You should have been in my Algebra class. This rumor has mutated. Now people are spitting lies like 'I heard Taffyta isn't even lesbian' or 'Vanellope's the one who cheated'. I wanted to kick a hole in the wall!"

"This is crazy." Vanellope shook her head, poking holes in the bun of her chicken sandwich with her fork. "I just say me and Taffy make out in the middle of the cafeteria, you know, just to get rid of any doubt."

"We're not doing that." Taffyta said through a mouthful of salad.

The four friends ate in silence for a while. Once they finished eating, they stayed outside.

"You two shouldn't worry about this, though." Citrusella said to Vanellope and Taffyta. "Someone's obviously trying to split you two up."

Taffyta nodded, choosing not to speak on the matter.

"It won't work. I know perfectly well that Taffyta still likes me, and I still like Taffyta." Vanellope assured.

Taffyta nodded. "I just want people to know we're still together." She sighed. "It all seemed better when it was a secret, though."

"Don't be silly." Citrusella said. "You have our support now."

"I know." Taffyta looked down at the table. "It's just that….literally everyone knows about me and Vanellope. We're THE couple in this school. That's just….too much pressure."

"Plus, 'hashtag IHeartTaffyta' has gone viral nationwide." Vanellope added.

"That, too." Taffyta agreed.

"This'll get sorted out eventually." Citrusella assured them. "There's no way you two are splitting."

"Right." Vanellope nodded.

Taffyta agreed with a nod. "I hope so."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Tennis practice. The first time Taffyta encountered Candela since Tuesday night.

Candela blushed cherry red when she saw Taffyta enter the locker room. Taffyta wanted to start asking her a bunch of questions, but decided to wait until later. There were too many people already in the locker room.

Taffyta never got too nervous while changing clothes for tennis, but was a little apprehensive knowing Candela might be looking at her. Taffyta knew Candela probably wouldn't do that, though.

Practice went fine and all, besides the awkward air from being around Candela as well as everyone looking at Taffyta without saying anything to her. They all must have thought Taffyta wouldn't want to be bothered, what with having supposedly been dumped recently.

Taffyta took her time changing after practice. She wanted to wait around long enough to talk to Candela. Most of her teammates were already leaving by the time she was putting her dress back on.

Meanwhile, Candela sort of awkwardly sat on a bench, halfheartedly changing clothes. She was only wearing a sports bra, capris, and sneakers when she sighed and put her head down, rubbing her forehead.

Taffyta had finished getting dressed when Candela was the only other girl left in the room. An unbearably awkward silence followed. Taffyta finally broke it when she said "You started the rumor, didn't you?"

Candela looked up at her. She pursed her lips and exhaled through her nose.

"Why?" Taffyta asked.

Candela shook her head, looking back down. "What do you expect me to say?" She sniffed, rubbing her nose. "I'm in love with you. I'm not just gonna stand by while—"

"You're trying to break me and Vanellope up." Taffyta accused her.

Candela looked back up at her. "Wouldn't you do the same? If the girl you loved, Vanellope, was with someone else, wouldn't you do the same?"

"It depends." Taffyta told her. "If Vanellope is in love with someone else, I let her be happy. But she's with me, Candela. And I'm with her. Don't you just want me to be happy?"

"It's not that easy, Taffyta." Candela stood up to look Taffyta in the eye. She blinked every few seconds like she was fighting tears. "I want to be happy. Is that so terrible?"

"You can be happy." Taffyta told her. "Just move on."

"How about you move on from Vanellope, huh?!" Candela exclaimed. "Can you do that? No, you can't, because you love her, right?! It would be impossible for you to move on from her, but it's supposed to be so simple for me to move on from you?!"

"Candela, I—"

"You're so happy with her. Being in love is so much damn fun, isn't it? If you want a hug, kiss, anything, you have someone to get it from. What about me?"

"Candela, you can spin this however you want to. I'm not leaving Vanellope. You can say it's impossible, but you need to move on."

Candela glared at her. "You don't get it, Taffyta."

"What is there not to get?" Taffyta asked.

"Look at me! I've poured my heart out to you! You're the only person on earth who knows I have a crush on another girl. My parents don't even know! I've trusted you, Taffyta, because I hoped that would be enough to show you that if you were with me, I'd love you no matter what."

"Again, you can say whatever you want—"

"How well do you know Vanellope, huh? Has she told you everything?"

"Yes." Taffyta nodded surely.

"You sure? Has she ever broken down and cried to you? Has she ever told you something that not even her parents know about? Does she love you, no matter what?"

Taffyta had yet to see Vanellope cry, and the biggest secret she had ever told her was probably the fact that she was gay that first night they met. But she was certain she could love her regardless of anything.

"You could do something terrible to her. Would she still love you?" Candela asked.

"Yes." Taffyta nodded. "And I'd never do anything to her."

"But you've cheated on her. You kissed another girl." Candela crossed her arms.

Taffyta balled her fists. "You kissed me! You took advantage of me!"

"You hugged me, and you kissed me back." Candela told her. "I felt it. You liked our kiss. You liked our moment together."

"And yet, Vanellope forgave me." Taffyta told her.

"You're not denying it." Candela noticed. "I know for a fact that you would be just fine if we kissed again."

"We won't, Candela. I'm not interested in you." Taffyta shook her head.

"Are you not? Then why did you love our kiss so much?"

"I didn't!"

"Don't lie to yourself. I heard you hum a little bit. I saw you close your eyes. You liked the kiss."

"I don't need your kisses, Candela."

"If you don't need them, then why did you love it?"

"I didn't! Candela, I'm really getting angry! Just leave my relationship with Vanellope alone!" Taffyta's muscles were tensing up. Her knuckles were turning white.

"But you cheated on Vanellope. With me."

"NO!" Taffyta swung her arm, and she knocked Candela away. Candela yelped when Taffyta's fist connected with her nose, and she stumbled backwards until she tripped over the bench and fell to the concrete floor with a thud. Candela whaled in pain, holding her hands over her nose

Taffyta stared down at her, frozen in her tracks. She looked down at the fist she'd hit her with. A bit of red was present on her knuckle.

"I'm sorry!" Taffyta apologized, stepping over the bench and kneeling next to Candela.

Candela squeezed her eyes shut, covering her nose and mouth as she rolled onto her side, facing away from Taffyta.

"Candela, I didn't….I don't know what came over me!" Taffyta exclaimed. "I just—"

"It's okay."

Taffyta looked down at her. "Huh?"

"It's okay." Candela pushed herself up and turned to look at Taffyta. Taffyta shivered when she saw the blood dripping from Candela's nose, tears falling down her face.

"I….I…." Taffyta tried to think of something to say.

"I forgive you." Candela said. "And I still love you."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Taffyta wasn't sure whether she should help Candela or punch her again. She felt terrible that she had bloodied her nose, but was not entirely sure whether or not she deserved it. Candela was heartbroken because Taffyta kept telling her to forget and move on, but then again, she was being selfish for having a complete disregard for Taffyta's feelings.

Nonetheless, Taffyta helped Candela to the nurse's office to get her nose cleaned and plugged. Taffyta told the nurse that Candela had tripped over a bench, which is how she busted her nose (partially true). Taffyta fibbed about having a headache so the nurse would give her a free pass to her next class, since the next period had already started.

They left the nurse's office, and just before they parted ways, Candela said to Taffyta, "I do want you to be happy. I do care about your feelings."

Taffyta wanted to respond. Although, she also didn't. She kept her eyes down.

"I just wish you cared about mine." Candela said before turning away and leaving Taffyta behind.

"Candela, wait." Taffyta heard herself say.

Candela stopped in her tracks, but stayed facing away from Taffyta. The blond walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I….I do care. I want to help you."

Candela was silent for a few seconds, then she looked over her shoulder at Taffyta. "You can't." She brushed Taffyta's hand away from her shoulder and resumed walking away. This time, Taffyta didn't pursue her.

This was all her fault.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

((Flashback))

René Higgins—the girl of Taffyta's dreams, and eventually, her nightmares.

She had brown hair, hazel eyes, and caramel-colored skin. She was the girl that everyone in school knew. She was popular. The "it" girl. And for good reason.

She was beautiful. She was funny. And she was confident. She knew she had friends behind her, and that empowered her in the way most popular kids are empowered. She had people who agreed with everything she said. Therefore, in a way, she could never be wrong.

No one knew who Taffyta Muttonfudge was. She was just that quiet girl sitting in the back of the class reading a book or something. No one ever talked to her, because she never talked back. She wasn't always super quiet. She was your average kid until about a years ago….

Her best friend was named Amanda. She was very much a nerd, what with her glasses and curly red hair. She and Taffyta loved doing things together. They studied together, played together. It was too bad when Amanda informed Taffyta that she was moving away. It was absolutely devastating to Taffyta.

On the day before Amanda left, she went to the park with Taffyta one last time. They played and had as much fun together as they possibly could. Then the next day, just minutes before Amanda left, they embraced, and Taffyta cried, begging Amanda not to go. Amanda simply held her hands and kissed her cheek, telling her they'd meet up again someday.

With Amanda gone, Taffyta really had no other friends. The lack of people to socialize with gave Taffyta the chance to think about Amanda, remembering that last day, the kiss on the cheek. Being just twelve-years-old, a girl kissing another girl's cheek seemed like such a foreign idea to Taffyta. And yet, it felt nice. No one besides her parents had ever kissed her. Not that the idea of kissing in general was foreign. Now in middle school, dating was more common than Taffyta had ever seen. But the whole concept of dating and romance was unfamiliar to her. Plain old kisses seemed so taboo. And yet on that day, after that friendly peck on the cheek from her best friend, the idea developed in Taffyta's mind: all of these girls at school dating boys and kissing boys—why not another girl? Girls always seemed nicer to Taffyta, anyway.

Taffyta asked her mother about this. Her question was something along the lines of "Can a girl kiss another girl?"

Her mom laughed and answered. "If she wants to, I guess."

"But….all the girls at my school kiss boys." Taffyta stated.

"I'm certain not all the girls at your school kiss boys." Sofia told her.

"Some of them kiss girls?"

"No, that's not what I meant." Sofia laughed. "I mean there are probably plenty of girls who have never kissed anyone."

"Not even their mom and dad?" Taffyta asked in horror.

Sofia laughed yet again, rubbing her eye. "No, I'm sure they do kiss their mom and dad. I mean they've never kissed anyone their age."

"Okay." Taffyta was silent for a little while before asking. "So girls can kiss girls?"

"Taffy, honey, if a girl wants to kiss another girl, she can, as long as that other girl is okay with it." She rubbed Taffyta's head. "Where are all these questions coming from, huh? You gotta girlfriend?"

"Ew, NO!" Taffyta recoiled.

"Boyfriend?" Sofia chuckled.

"Ew, NO!" Taffyta protested.

Sofia kneeled down. "Then what is it?"

Taffyta rubbed her neck. "Well, right before Amanda left, we hugged, held hands, and she kissed my cheek."

Sofia smiled. "Well, I think she just did that because you're her best friend. You're okay she kissed you, right?"

"Yeah, yeah….I liked it." Taffyta nodded, fiddling with her sleeve. "I miss Amanda."

"I know you do, honey bear." Sofia placed her hand on Taffyta's shoulder.

Taffyta nodded. "I just wanted to know that it was normal."

"What, her kissing you?" Sofia asked.

"Uh huh."

"Well…." Sofia took a moment to find the words. "A girl kissing a girl, like, not how Amanda kissed your cheek. That was just friendly. I mean two girls kissing romantically—that's not typically what you'd call 'normal'. I mean, it's different. A good kind of different, okay?"

Taffyta nodded. "Okay."

"I just mean that there aren't very many girls who kiss other girls. It's not weird or anything. You get that, right?"

"So, if….I want to kiss a girl," Taffyta asked. "Could I?"

Sofia grinned, chuckling. "Taffyta….I guess so." She sighed. "Taffyta, do you have a crush on anyone?"

Taffyta shook her head. "Nuh uh."

"If you do, you can tell me." Sofia told her.

"Okay." Taffyta blushed. "I don't have one."

"Okay." Sofia sighed, looking down for a moment. "Taffy, there must be a reason why you're asking me these things." She looked Taffyta in the eyes. "Taffy, would you want to kiss a girl?"

Taffyta was silent for a while, letting the question sink in. Originally, Taffyta had always had her mind set that kisses were gross, but now, she actually put some thought to it. "I guess."

"More than a boy?" Sofia asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I….I'd rather a girl." Taffyta said honestly. "That's okay, right?"

"Totally, yes!" Sofia nodded. "That is okay. Even though probably all of your girl classmates want to kiss boys, it's okay if you wanna kiss girls." She giggled. She honestly never thought she'd be talking about something like this with her twelve-year-old daughter. "And if a boy wants to kiss boys, that's okay, too."

"Really?" Taffyta asked.

"Yeah. It's….kind of the same thing." Sofia held Taffyta's hand. "Sweetie, I know you're only twelve, but I think this is something you need to think about, okay?"

"What?" Taffyta asked.

Sofia sighed, looking down for a moment. She didn't exactly want to explain the whole concept of "sexual orientation". It hadn't been long since they had had "The Talk". Sofia knew how new this all must have seemed to Taffyta. "Just think about girls, and boys, and….kissing, okay?"

"Uh…." Taffyta shrugged. "What?"

Sofia rolled her eyes. "Just.…think of the most handsome boy possible, and then think of the most beautiful girl possible. Would you rather kiss the girl, or the boy? Or both! Okay?"

Taffyta nodded. "Okay."

"Don't tell me your answer. Just think about it yourself, alright?"

"Alright."

She certainly did some thinking.

She spent a good couple of hours pondering the "handsomest boy, prettiest girl" question. There had always been an element of mystery when it came to boys, at least in Taffyta's opinion. She didn't know how they worked, what they were really like. The boys she'd ever spoken to seemed nice enough, though she didn't really KNOW any boy at school. The thing was, Taffyta had overheard some boys bragging to their friends about the number of girls he's kissed or something like that. Taffyta didn't like the idea of kissing just to brag about it. Taffyta thought kisses were special. Amanda's kiss on the cheek was certainly something Taffyta wouldn't soon forget.

Taffyta now wished she had kissed Amanda back. After all the time they'd spent together, if Amanda bothered to give Taffyta a little smooch on the cheek, Taffyta could have at least done the same back. Boy, she missed Amanda.

Taffyta didn't want a boyfriend or a girlfriend. She just wanted a friend. She didn't want to "date" or "go out", she wanted to "play" and "hang out" with someone, and maybe give each other friendly hugs and kisses. That's all she really wanted. And if that someone were a girl, or boy, Taffyta would be happy.

A while after Amanda's absence, Taffyta became more and more timid. She was reluctant to socialize with people at school, because things kept changing for her. Her thinking was changing, her physical self was changing. While most girls were going through their "boy crazy" phase, wearing boy-band merchandise and debating which celebrity was the cutest, Taffyta had her own internal debate alone.

When she had had "The Talk" with her parents, she knew all of what what do be expected when it came to puberty. One of those aspects was feeling attraction and desire. Strangely enough, Taffyta didn't feel that right now as a twelve-year-old sixth grader. Somehow, the idea that maybe her puberty wasn't working popped into Taffyta's head. She didn't feel much of any sort of desire, her chest hadn't developed as much as she figured it was supposed to, and when she looked in the mirror, she did not feel like she looked "more grown up", as her parents had put it. She asked her mom, but she simply told her, "You're just a late-bloomer."

Taffyta had always been a smart girl. She could not recall ever getting anything but an A average on her report card. Her intelligence also came with a very well-developed imagination, which was both a blessing and a curse. She could analyze any situation and solve it, but she could over think some things, too. Like all the girls at her school seemed to be maturing quicker than her. Taffyta still felt like a child, reading books, playing tennis, and listening to country music instead of going to see the latest chick-flick and obsessing over the male-half of the student body. She only hoped that this "late-bloomer" would bloom sooner rather than later.

In the seventh grade, she finally did, sort of.

During the summer vacation before seventh grade, Taffyta finally seemed to be developing the "desires" she was supposedly supposed to have. She had gotten her first smart phone recently, but instead of texting her friends and posting to Facebook like most of her peers would, she curiously looked up pictures of pretty girls and what it meant if a girl kissed a girl. With the help of the Internet, Taffyta learned of the words "gay" and "lesbian" and their meanings. Taffyta gradually began to realize that those words described her. She really didn't have an interest in boys. She was always fascinated by beautiful girls and the unique way some girls smile. It made Taffyta want to look as beautiful as possible, because she knew she wasn't the only person who appreciated beauty.

When summer break came to an end and Taffyta returned to school, she immediately noticed something. Someone, more specifically.

She remembered back to when her mom asked her to picture the handsomest boy and the prettiest girl possible. Taffyta realized in amazement that she had inadvertently imagined René Higgins as the prettiest girl possible.

She had imagined kissing that imaginary girl, and now, that could be possible. She was right there in front of her, smiling the way Taffyta liked when girls smiled. Taffyta longed to feel what it was like to hug a girl her age, to be kissed on the cheek like Amanda had months ago.

After a couple of months of admiring René, Taffyta finally got her nerves in order. She only hoped that she would feel the same way about beautiful girls as Taffyta did. She was confident that she had made herself as pretty as possible, with her pink dress and her perfectly groomed blond hair with a flower in it. She picked her spot, when René was alone for a moment in the hallway, Taffyta took a deep breath and approached her.

She regretted it.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

She cried to her mother for nearly an hour. "They made fun of me, and they called me names." She sobbed. She sat in her mother's lap, crying on her shoulder.

Sofia felt like crying, too, but held strong for Taffyta's sake. She hugged her daughter, thankful for the fact that she could still hold her in her lap despite Taffyta being taller than when she was nine or ten. She just couldn't believe something like this could happen to Taffyta. Sofia had no idea that Taffyta had become so attracted to girls. She wished she had known, though. She could have advised against Taffyta asking out that René girl.

"Taffy, baby, listen to me." Sofia spoke softly.

Taffyta looked up from her mother's shoulder, eyes red from her crying.

"You did nothing wrong. Those kids at school are the ones who are wrong." Sofia told her.

Taffyta sniffed. "Really?"

"Taffy, you see things differently than they do. You liked that girl because you thought she was beautiful. How is that bad?"

Taffyta sniffed again, her expression becoming discouraged. "I don't like her anymore."

"I know, honey. Just remember that you weren't wrong. You were so brave to walk up to her like that. She should have been flattered."

Taffyta put her head back on Sofia's shoulder. "I don't like girls anymore."

"Taffy." Sofia sighed. "Don't say that, okay? I want you to be yourself. If you think girls are pretty, and you wanna kiss a girl, that is okay. Those kids at school may make fun of you and make you feel bad, but just remember, you are who you are, okay? You're special, and you don't need their approval to be you."

Taffyta was silent. At least she had stopped crying.

"I know you've never been interested in boys, and I don't think that'll change, will it?"

Taffyta shook her head.

"You're young, Taffyta, and so are they. When you get older, I think you'll find another girl who thinks girls are pretty."

"You think so?" Taffyta asked, looking up.

Sofia nodded. "You're not alone. Just know that, okay? There are plenty of girls, and even boys who feel like you, and they've all had to deal with what you deal with at school."

Knowing she wasn't alone made Taffyta feel a little bit better, although she was still scared. She'd have to go back to school tomorrow. She'd have to face those mean kids again. She'd have to face René again. "I don't wanna go back to school."

Sofia sighed. "Taffyta, the thing about bullies is they may call you names and make fun of you, but that's all they can do. They can't hurt you unless you let them."

Easier said than done, Taffyta thought. "I don't wanna go back. I wanna be homeschooled."

Sofia kissed Taffyta's head. "I'm sorry, honey bear. You just need to be a brave girl and stand up to those mean kids."

"How?" Taffyta asked.

"Show that they don't bother you. Show them that you are above them." Sofia sighed. "Taffy, you're the sweetest little girl in the world, and they're bullies. It looks to me like you're the better person here."

"I still don't wanna go back." Taffyta croaked, starting to cry again. She buried her face in her mothers neck.

Sofia sighed, hugging her daughter tight. "I know, baby." She felt a tear trickle from her own eye. "I know…."


	22. Chapter 22

**((A/N: I've been asked about my intentions of continuing some of my other stories. Info on that can be seen on my profile bio.))**

Chapter 22

Taffyta was not bothered by all the people staring at her for the rest of the day. She was too caught up in thinking about Candela.

Taffyta could not figure that girl out. She now knew Candela had started the whole rumor about Vanellope and Taffyta breaking up, but that didn't make Taffyta think any different of the fact that Candela was doing all of this because she wanted Taffyta so badly. Not to mention the fact that Taffyta felt terrible about punching her in the nose. She had never done something like that. She rarely ever got angry at people, much less did she ever want to hurt someone, and yet, she had bloodied Candela's nose because the poor girl was in love with her. Taffyta felt like a monster.

After school football practice finally resumed that afternoon, and Taffyta attended as manager. Rancis still had yet to return to practice, and school, for that matter, which, of course, left Gloyd as the starting quarterback.

The team went through some preparation drills for tomorrow night's game in Jefferson City. Taffyta really didn't have much to do except make sure the water jugs were filled. She spent most of the first twenty minutes of practice sitting on a bench watching the offensive squad run their plays.

That's when she spotted someone approaching from the old bleachers from across the field. It was Vanellope, who subtly walked around the field before sitting down next to Taffyta. "Hiya." She greeted, trying to sound enthusiastic, but sounded more exasperated than anything.

"It was Candela." Taffyta told Vanellope immediately. She kept her eyes on the football field, watching as the offense ran their plays, Taffyta scrutinizing each and every minor flaw in what each player did.

Vanellope nodded. "Figured so." She sighed, leaning back on the metal bench. "I'm really starting to not like her."

Taffyta nodded. "I am, too, I guess." Taffyta finally looked away from the football team, looking down at her feet instead. She rubbed her feet over the artificial turf, causing all of those little black rubber bits to fly from between the plastic blades of grass. "I feel sorry for her, though."

Vanellope looked at her, letting her eyebrows settle downward, a glair forming on her face. "Why?"

Taffyta did not want to mention punching Candela. Instead, she told her, "She's trying all of these things just so she can be with me. Her heart is broken, and I just kept making it worse."

"She'll figure out that she needs to move on." Vanellope said dismissively.

"I'm the only person she's ever told." Taffyta explained. "She hasn't told anyone about her feelings for me except me. She trusts me, and yet I still tell her to move on."

"Like you should!" Vanellope exclaimed. She rubbed her eyes and mumbled under her breath. Candela was brainwashing Taffyta, someway, somehow. "She needs to grow up. A little heartbreak never hurt anyone."

Taffyta finally turned to look at Vanellope, her eyes piercing Vanellope like bayonets. "Vanellope, heartbreak hurts worse than anything. I should know. No amount of 'growing up' can ever change the fact that heartbreak is the worse thing anyone can experience."

"I'm just saying she needs to realize that you're unattainable. I know that's terrible to say, but I'm just speaking the truth." Vanellope kept her hazel eyes locked with Taffyta's crystal-blue ones. "Sure, I know heartbreak hurts. You don't think all that time being bullied in middle school didn't break my heart, Taff? My childhood dream of being a pro basketball player ruined because I was bullied so much." Vanellope sighed. "I know heartbreak hurts, but nothing ever gets better for you until you move on. It stops hurting eventually once you move on."

Taffyta suddenly stood to her feet, looking down at Vanellope. "When I was five, my parents died in a plane crash. I spent four years in a foster home, crying because I thought I wasn't good enough to get adopted. I was bullied, judged, and ostracized for two years in middle school for thinking girls are pretty." Taffyta had her fists clenched to her sides, standing perfectly straight above Vanellope, who stared up at her, frozen in place. "I moved on from all of that, but don't you dare say it eventually stops hurting, because it doesn't. I am deathly afraid of airplanes, I'm still worried that I'm not a good enough person, I have nightmares about those kids from middle school, I have anxiety problems…." Taffyta felt herself choke up. "It never stops hurting, okay?" She sat back down, squeezing her arms to her chest.

Vanellope felt as if her heart had become confetti that was now flying away in the wind. She felt like the biggest jack-donkey on the face of the planet now. She reached over and hugged Taffyta, noticing how much she was shivering. She eventually calmed down. "I'm sorry." Vanellope told Taffyta.

Taffyta nodded. "I know."

"Heartbreak hurts." Vanellope said. "It just depends on how strong you are, so you can deal with it." She kissed Taffyta on the temple of her head. "You're the strongest person I know. I forget about what all you've been through sometimes, and I'm sorry."

Taffyta sniffed, looking up at Vanellope. "Can I ask you something?"

Vanellope nodded. "Anything."

Taffyta sighed, taking a few moments to think about her question before finally saying it. "Do I know everything about you?"

Vanellope opened her mouth to respond, only to close it when she could not find anything to say. "I….don't know."

"I've been thinking…." Taffyta said. "Is there anything about you, a secret, that no one knows?"

Vanellope felt her heart hop into her throat. One thing popped to mind. "Uh….why are you asking now?"

"I'm just wondering." Taffyta told her. "We love each other, so I just thought we ought to be completely open to each other."

Vanellope nodded. "Is there….anything you want to tell me? Do you have a secret?"

Taffyta nodded, looking down. "Yeah."

Vanellope took a few moments to think it over. "I….guess I have to tell you."

"Once we get home, we can confess." Taffyta said. "I need to get this off my chest."

Vanellope sighed, leaning her elbows on her knees. "Yeah, I guess I could say the same."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

After practice ended, the two girls went to Taffyta's house. Sofia was not home, so they just sat in the living room so they could reveal their secrets.

"Still, Taff, why are you asking me to tell you my biggest secret? Do you not trust me?" Vanellope asked.

"I trust you." Taffyta nodded. They sat side-by-side on the couch, very reminiscent of the day Taffyta told Vanellope about Candela liking her. The only source of light came in through the windows. "Do you trust me? Because I'm willing to tell you everything. I know you'll keep my secret safe, just like I'll keep yours safe."

"I trust you, yes. It's just….I don't know if you'd want to know my secret." Vanellope admitted, rubbing her elbow.

"Why wouldn't I?" Taffyta asked. "What is it?"

"Uh…." Vanellope shook her head, not looking directly at Taffyta. "You say yours first."

Taffyta sighed, nodding. "Alright." She looked down and grabbed Vanellope's hand. "I'll tell you."

Vanellope was now looking Taffyta right in the eyes, listening intently on what Taffyta was preparing to say.

Taffyta inhaled and began to confess. "I've told you that I have anxiety problems, right?"

"Yes." Vanellope nodded. "Are you okay? Because I can help you if you're too stressed."

"Thank you, Vanny." Taffyta sighed. "I haven't been as stressed ever since meeting you, but….you know. The whole thing with Rancis, and now Candela, it's….kind of hard not to stress out."

"I know." Vanellope lifted her legs onto the couch, tucking them to her side. "I can help."

"You do help. Every hug and kiss you give me helps." Taffyta told her. "But….I have a tendency to overcomplicate things, at least to myself, making myself think things are worse than they actually are. You get that, right?"

"I do." Vanellope agreed. "So are you just telling me you've been really stressed? If so, that's not really a big secret. I've known you've had struggles with stress."

"No, that's not my big secret." Taffyta squeezed Vanellope's hand. "And my actual secret may not be that big of a deal, but it's still something I've never told anyone about."

"Okay." Vanellope reached her other hand over, now holding Taffyta's hand with both of hers.

Taffyta sighed. "All last year and the year before, while I was dealing with the bullying at my middle school, there were instances where I just couldn't get through the whole day. I'd run to a bathroom and stay there crying for hours."

Vanellope moved one of her hands away from Taffyta's hand and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I felt alone. I felt like a huge weirdo. I wanted help, but….I was already bad enough at talking to people. It would have been even harder for me to tell my parents or anyone about how upset I got at school." Taffyta leaned over and rested her head on Vanellope's shoulder. "I know it's not much of a secret, but it's something that I've never told anyone about. You know how to make me feel better, so I told you."

Vanellope kissed her cheek. "Thanks for telling me. If you're ever feeling stressed or anything, just tell me, okay?"

Taffyta nodded, kissing Vanellope's cheek in return. "Thanks."

"What brought up this whole thing about secrets, though?" Vanellope asked. "Why do you want me to tell you such a big secret all of a sudden?"

Taffyta shrugged. "I just wondered—"

"You didn't 'just wonder'. Someone brought it up." Vanellope claimed.

Taffyta sighed. "Okay. I talked to Candela today after tennis practice…."

"Candela." Vanellope sighed. "This is about Candela."

"No, it's was just something she said that got me thinking." Taffyta told her.

"What exactly did she say?" Vanellope wasn't pleased at the reminder that Candela was trying to steal her girlfriend.

"Well, she explained how I was the only person she'd told about her having a crush on a girl. She told me something no one else knew about."

"Okay." Vanellope nodded.

"She was trying to make a point by asking if you'd poured your heart out to me like she had, so—"

"Poured my heart out?" Vanellope groaned, rubbing her eyes. "She's brainwashing you. She's trying to make herself seem better than me."

"I know, it's just….it got me thinking." Taffyta explained.

"Thinking if wether or not I trust you as much as Candela does?"

"No, I was just curious. I feel like I tell you a lot about me. My insecurities, my anxiety, you know."

"I don't tell you enough?" Vanellope asked. "Okay, fine. I'll admit something: Candela is really getting on my nerves."

"Vanny, I know that you—"

"Why can't she just leave you alone? She's putting this stuff in your head that she's the victim."

"Well, isn't she, sort of?" Taffyta asked.

"Taffy, Candela is trying to take you away from me! How can you be on her side?!" Vanellope exclaimed.

"I'm not! I'm on your side. I told her that I'm not interested in her." Taffyta stated surely.

"'Not interested in her'? Taffyta, you kissed her."

Taffyta froze, looking at Vanellope. "Vanny….she kissed me."

"You kissed her back, didn't you? You told me you liked it." Vanellope sighed. "I don't believe this." She shook her head, putting her hand to her forehead.

"Believe what?" Taffyta asked.

"Whatever she's trying to do….it's working."

"It isn't working! I already told you that the kiss was—"

"You kissed her back, Taff!"

"You said you would have done the same!"

"Taffyta, I'm gonna be honest with you. If Candela had kissed me, especially if I knew what her real intentions were, I would have pushed her away."

"I didn't know her intentions! I just thought she was heartbroken."

"Look at me, Taff!"

Taffyta turned her head and looked Vanellope in the eyes, whose expression was hard as steel.

"I'm Vanellope von Schweetz. I'm the girl who loves you. I'm the girl who's here for you whenever you need me."

Taffyta sighed and nodded. "I know, Vanellope. I'm sorry that—"

"No, Taff! Listen. I don't really see why I need to tell you such a big secret to prove that I trust you. I thought you already knew I trusted you."

"Vanny…." Taffyta reached over to Vanellope.

"No, Taff. You need to look at the big picture here. There's me, and there's Candela. Choose."

"Van, you know I'd never pick Candela over you."

"Then why are you all like 'Candela told me her most precious secret. Why hasn't Vanellope told me anything?'" Vanellope stood to her feet. "I know you're sympathetic towards Candela, and I know that's just in your nature, but I'm not as forgiving as you. Candela is trying to split us up, and I won't stand for it. If you can't bring yourself to tell her off, then I will." She turned and began to walk toward the front door.

"Vanny!" Taffyta stood and followed after her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna find Candela, and I'm going to tell her off, like I said." Vanellope said sternly, reaching the front door and opening it.

"Vanellope, you don't know where she lives." Taffyta said. "And just leave her alone, okay?"

"Why should I?" Vanellope turned and looked at Taffyta, fiery intent in her eyes. "She's trying to take you away from me, and she's succeeding. I'm not gonna sit around anymore and let her play you like a drumset." Vanellope walked out the door, Taffyta continuing to follow. "And I know where she lives. Right down the street from my old foster home."

"Vanellope, please." Taffyta grabbed her hand, making Vanellope turn and face her. The hair normally brushed to the sides of Vanellope's face was now partially masking her eyes. "Vanellope, just let me handle this on my own, okay? Just trust me."

Vanellope shut her eyes and shook her head. "Taffy, I trust you." She gently pulled her hand away from Taffyta. "It's Candela who I don't trust."

"Vanny." Taffyta ran around, blocking the way Vanellope had been walking. "This is my battle to fight."

"You're not fighting alone, okay." Vanellope stepped forward and hugged Taffyta. "I'm doing this to protect you."

Taffyta halfheartedly lifted her arms up to hug Vanellope back. "I don't need protecting." She told her.

"I know, Taff." Vanellope let go of the hug. "But it's high-time someone gave Candela Crawford a reality check." She stepped by Taffyta and resumed walking away.

"Van…." Taffyta turned, then sighed. "Can you….can you at least tell me your secret?"

Vanellope stopped, keeping her back to Taffyta. Her breathing had paused as she stared off into space.

"Whatever it is, I promise I'll respect you as much, if not more, than before." Taffyta offered.

Vanellope sighed, turning back around. She had her hands tucked in her sweatshirt pockets. She looked down at the concrete under her feet. "Fine." She kept her eyes down as she spoke. "You wanna know so badly, fine. Taffy, you're not my first."

Shock and confusion settled on Taffyta's face. After a brief silence, she spoke. "Wha-….what do you mean?"

Vanellope kept her eyes down. "You're not my first….romance, I guess is what you'd call it." She cleared her throat. "And I'm sorry I never told you before."

Taffyta shook her head. "How? I mean….Vanellope, you lied to me? I thought we were each other's first. Our kiss at the mini golf course was my first, but not yours?"

Vanellope nodded. "I'm sorry. The only thing I've ever regretted was the relationship I had before you."

"Who was it?" Taffyta asked. "When was it?"

"When I was thirteen, still living in the foster home. This other girl, my roommate, was who it was."

"Roommates. So that's how you kept it secret." Taffyta sighed. "Vanny, I wish you had just told me you once had a girlfriend after confessing you're gay. That would have been easier."

"The thing is, this relationship with her wasn't the healthiest, I mean, it wasn't as….real as the one I have with you now."

"How so?" Taffyta asked.

"We were both sort of at that point where we're starting to think 'I think I may be gay', so we told each other about it, and figured we could try to set up an experiment with each other to see if our feelings were legitimate. I didn't think of it as a real relationship. I just thought of it as an experiment."

"So….it was to confirm whether you liked girls?" Taffyta asked. "You didn't actually have feelings for the other girl?"

"Not really, now that I think about it. It just….felt nice when we hugged, and kissed, and…." She sighed. "It was just sort of a 'friends with benefits' situation."

"Wait, so….do you mean that like….did you two…?" Taffyta enquired.

"We never actually went, like….all the way." Vanellope blushed at the thought. "Neither of us had experienced romance before, so we just kissed and snuggled and shared a bed—"

"Sort of like us?" Taffyta asked timidly.

Vanellope let her head down and trudged back over to Taffyta's front door. She sat down in front of it, leaning her back against it. "She got adopted, and I was left alone. I felt guilty, like I felt I should have asked her on an actual date, but….she was a year older than me. I thought it would be her job to ask me out. She never did. Now I look back on the whole charade, and I just wish it had never happened. My first relationship with someone, and it was a huge waste. I never actually like-liked her in the first place."

Taffyta sat down next to Vanellope. She put her hand on Vanellope's knee. "Thank you for telling me."

Vanellope nodded, letting her head rest on Taffyta's shoulder. "On the bright side, I guess it did help me realize I was gay. I don't know if things would be the same between you and me if it hadn't happened."

"Yeah." Taffyta rested her head on top of Vanellope's. "Vanellope, I've always trusted you, okay? And I know you trust me." She sighed, closing her eyes. "And you're right. I don't think I can bring myself to tell Candela off. I know she's trying to split us up, but I promise you, it won't work, okay?"

Vanellope held Taffyta's hand. "Okay."

"Just….if you want to tell her off, don't do it without me. We need to tell her together. We need to show her that we're in love, and there's nothing she can do to change that."

Vanellope nodded. "Yeah."

"Good." Taffyta kissed her head, then stood up. She helped Vanellope up. "Wanna go play a video game?"

"How about we take a walk instead?" Vanellope asked, smiling.

Taffyta giggled. "Like, a romantic walk?"

"Sure, we can go to the park." Vanellope took her hand. "And while we're on the subject of secrets, how about you tell me some more? Preferably the funny, embarrassing kind?"

Taffyta rolled her eyes. They began walking. "Sure, I guess I owe you for asking about your secret in the first place."

"Cool. And don't worry. I won't tell anyone. Trust me."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

**((It's been a while, I know. Heck, Gravity Falls is better at regularly releasing new content than I am! Don't worry, I know where this story is going, I just need to put pencil to paper….er, finger to key. I don't know. Hope y'all enjoy!))**

The rest of the day went rather smoothly. Taffyta and Vanellope spent their walk confessing their funniest, most embarrassing secrets to one another. Vanellope now knew about the day Taffyta had accidentally ripped her skirt on a locker in middle school, and Taffyta now knew about the time Vanellope went to a city pool with her friends and had lost the trunks she had been wearing after jumping from the high-dive. (Vanellope now stuck to one-piece swimsuits, since they never fall off when you dive into a pool).

They started heading to Vanellope's house around dusk. They watched the Thursday Night NFL game between the Cowboys and Steelers on TV while eating a dinner consisting of homemade turkey and Swiss sandwiches, tortilla chips, and Orange Fanta. Once the game ended, they both went to Vanellope's room to go to sleep.

The best part of the afternoon, at least in Vanellope's opinion, was the fact that Candela's name was not mentioned at all since their conversation earlier. But now, after two hours of lying in bed listening to Taffyta's cute snores, Vanellope still found herself sleepless. Her overactive imagination and borderline ADHD always made it tough to fall asleep, and now, her exaggerated obsession was over Candela. What did she plan to do now? Vanellope was almost afraid to fall asleep, because she thought she might have a nightmare about Candela successfully taking Taffyta away from her. Even with Taffyta resting her head on Vanellope's shoulder, drooling and snoring, as if mocking Vanellope with the fact that she was sleeping so soundly, doubt was still present in Vanellope's mind. Vanellope had known Taffyta for nearly three weeks now, and although that may not seem like that long of a time in hindsight, Vanellope knew Taffyta. She knew that Taffyta still had plenty of pity for that Candela Crawford. But Vanellope couldn't blame her girlfriend. Taffyta was cursed with the ability to be a complete sweetheart. No, Vanellope knew who was at fault—Candela.

Vanellope needed to fix this. She had tried to get through to Taffyta, which had not completely worked. Now, she had no other choice. Even though Taffyta did not want her to, Vanellope had to give Candela a talking to. Otherwise, this could all spiral out of control.

••••••••••••••••••••••

The two girls awoke the next morning in horror at the fact that Vanellope had not set an alarm. Taffyta didn't have a clean change of clothes, and her car was at her house. The two quickly got dressed, Taffyta borrowing a blue T-shirt and black basketball shorts from Vanellope, neither of them bothering to shower. They grabbed granola bars from the kitchen for "breakfast", and they were able to catch Ralph before he pulled out of the driveway so he could drive them to school.

Despite their outstanding efforts, they both ended up having to retrieve a tardy pass after arriving to school two minutes late.

Yet again, they were reminded of the situation at hand when they entered their respective classes. Every eye in the room became nailed to the late-arriving girls.

All the more reason for Vanellope to get all of this sorted out. Before she even got to her seat, her nerves overtook her reasoning, and she announced "Taffyta's still my girlfriend, ya know?"

It took a good minute or so for the teacher to quiet down her students, who were firing question after question towards Vanellope. One question stood out to her. It came from the mouth of the girl who sat next to her; Crumbellina. "Y'all got back together?"

"We never broke up." Vanellope responded as she sat down in her desk.

"But I heard—"

"It's all a big rumor." She cut her off. She rested her chin on her arms, lying on her desk. "Stop believing everything you hear." She mumbled into her sleeve.

It was hard to pay attention all day, because Vanellope dealt with the same reception in each and every class. The only relief came during Activity Period, when she hung out with her friends, but when lunch rolled around, she reluctantly avoided Taffyta so she could go looking for Candela Crawford.

She ate a burger from the cafeteria while searching for Candela. After fifteen minutes, while also trying to avoid Taffyta so she wouldn't ask Vanellope what she was up to, she finally spotted Candela. She was walking out of the cafeteria, so Vanellope followed her.

She tracked Candela to the athletic hallway. Right before she entered the girls' tennis locker room, Vanellope called out. "Hey."

Candela froze with her hand on the door handle. She looked to see Vanellope trotting over. She didn't respond.

"I need to talk to you." Vanellope stood a mere meter away from Candela, who slowly drew her hand away from the entrance to the locker room. "First off, my name is Vanellope von Schweetz, Taffyta Muttonfudge's girlfriend." She held her hand out for a handshake; Candela unsurprisingly did not comply.

"Stop trying to take Taffyta away from me, alright?" Vanellope asked.

Candela shook her head. "I'm sorry, Vanellope. I'm sorry you got caught up in all of this."

"You got yourself caught up in 'all o' dis'." Vanellope leaned her back against the locker room door, crossing her arms.

Candela looked down the hall. They were alone. "Look at it this way. We're both in love with her. How can you blame me, really?"

"I'll be honest. I don't blame you." Vanellope stated. "I know first-hand how easy it is for people to fall in love with Taffyta. You don't think I see guys stare at her all the time?" Vanellope reached out and poked Candela in the shoulder. "You're just another one of them, really."

"Did you just call me a guy?" Candela asked.

"I used to get called a guy all the time. I'd never do that to anyone." Vanellope shook her head. "What I'm trying to say is you're just another lovestruck sap-bucket like every dude that's ever ogled Taffyta."

"I don't ogle her! She's beautiful and sweet; I legitimately love her!" Candela defended.

"If you truly loved her, you'd let her be happy." Vanellope shot at her. "Instead, you're fine with causing her to stress out over this whole situation. You're hurting her."

"Do you blame me?" Candela asked.

"Yes, I do!" Vanellope exclaimed.

"You said it yourself. I'm lovestruck. Heart-stricken. Haven't you ever felt the same?" Candela asked.

"Don't try to get any pity out of me. I'm not as sweet as Taffyta."

"That's obvious." Candela grumbled to herself.

"You're damn cookin', it's obvious!" Vanellope spat. "I don't think you get it. I'm the person you're trying to steal from! Taffyta is my girlfriend. The girl you 'love' is in love with me. Do you get that?"

"I understand." Candela nodded.

"You need to just move on, alright? It would be easier on all of us if you just moved on."

"Why don't you move on, huh?" Candela asked.

"I don't have to. Taffyta loves me. She doesn't love you."

"You don't know that." Candela said surely.

"Oh, yes, I do." Vanellope nodded.

"No, you don't. Deep down, I know Taffyta has feelings for me." Candela nodded.

"Candela, you don't know anything! You read at, what, a fifth-grade level!"

Candela gasped. She gritted her teeth. "I…." She hesitated. "I don't get why Taffyta loves you. I used to think you were nice, but now, I know you're just a big jerk!"

"I'm the jerk?! You're trying to steal my girlfriend!" Vanellope shot back.

"At least I don't put people down like you just did. I know I'm not that smart. You don't think…." She sniffed. "You don't think I'm reminded of that all the time?"

"Oh, no." Vanellope smiled, shaking her head. "Crying won't help you."

"I know." Candela croaked, rubbing her eye.

Vanellope groaned. "This is your game. If I were Taffyta, I'd probably be hugging you, and you'd probably steal another kiss from her, huh?"

"At least she cares." Candela whined, rubbing her face on her sleeve.

"That's the thing. I don't care." Vanellope shook her head. She stood up straight from leaning on the door. She kept her arms crossed. "You prey on Taffyta's compassion. You take advantage of her."

"Maybe you're the idiot!" Candela yelled in anger. "You can't see that I really am in love with her!"

"I don't doubt that. In fact, that's the problem."

"My love for her is a problem?!" Candela balled her fists. She lunged and pushed Vanellope away. "Your love for her is a problem!"

Vanellope's back slammed into the door. She stared at Candela in amazement. Blood rushed in her ears, the muscles in her arms tensing up. She grinned insidiously. "Oh, so this is what you want?"

"I want you to go away." Candela raised her chin. She obviously realized that Vanellope was angry, but she wouldn't back down.

"That won't happen easily." Vanellope stepped towards her and shoved her. Candela stumbled back, but righted herself before falling. "You know, I'm not afraid to hit you." Vanellope taunted.

"Don't worry." Candela shook her head. "I'm used to it, thanks to your girlfriend."

"My girlfriend?" Vanellope chuckled. "What, did she punch you?"

Candela pointed to her face. Vanellope noticed the bruise across the bridge of Candela's nose.

"That?" Vanellope asked. "Taffyta didn't do that."

"Yeah, she did." Candela shook her head. "You're rubbing off on her."

"Good." Vanellope grinned. "I'm proud of her. You deserved it."

"She wouldn't have hit me if it weren't for you." Candela accused. "You've changed her."

"Changed her?" Vanellope laughed. "Yeah, she always complains about how if it weren't for me, she'd still be a shy, nervous girl. She hates being the happy, strong girl she's become with my help."

"She was always strong." Candela said. "But you're making her into a jerk, just like you."

"She stood up for herself. That's why she hit you." Vanellope shook her head. "I can't believe you. You're so naïve."

"She's in denial. She really does have feelings for me, Vanellope."

"Yeah, uh huh, sure." Vanellope nodded, rolling her eyes.

"No, really. I know for a fact that she likes me, I know she has doubts about you…."

"Doubts about me?" Vanellope scoffed.

"You're not perfect, Vanellope."

"Hell no, I'm not. That's a good thing."

"You certainly aren't. Oh, and, by the way," Candela grinned. "I know for a FACT, that the kiss me and Taffyta shared…."

Vanellope's face settled into a glair. She pursed her lips.

"I know for a fact—she loved it."

"No, she didn't." Vanellope barked sternly.

"I experienced it with her. Her, in my arms." Candela smiled, as if reminiscing on the kiss. "She held me so tight. She kissed me like everyone wants to be kissed. Her voice, humming with love….unforgettable."

"'Unforgettable', huh?" Vanellope growled, fire in her eyes. She grabbed Candela's collar, cocking her arm back. "Good luck forgetting this!"

"VANELLOPE!"

She couldn't stop her arm from shooting forward when she heard her name, slamming her fist into Candela's eye. The girl yelped, holding her hands to her eye, crumbling to the ground.

Vanellope quickly turned to the source of the voice that had just screamed her name. Taffyta stood at the end of the hallway, the door behind her just now closing.

Vanellope looked down at Candela, who sat on the ground, pressing her hand to her eye, whimpering in pain.

Taffyta came running over with athletic speed. "What the hell?!" She yelled at Vanellope.

Vanellope stood dumbfounded. "She….she was…."

"You hit her!" Taffyta exclaimed. "You HIT her!"

"So did you!" Vanellope argued.

"But you meant to. I didn't mean to!" Taffyta held her hand to her forehead. "I can't believe….I just saw you do that."

"Taffyta, she….she played me!" Vanellope hated to admit it, but Candela's mind games somehow worked on her.

"You grabbed her and hit her!" Taffyta yelled. "If I weren't here, you would've beaten her up!"

"No, I would not." Vanellope shook her head.

"I saw how angry you were." Taffyta shook her head. She looked down. "It was scary."

Vanellope's shoulders lowered. Her heart sank, realizing the full ramifications of what she'd done. "I….I'm sorry."

"Vanellope, I never thought you could ever do something like this. I thought you were a nice girl."

"Taffyta, you gotta understand! You've heard her tricks. She plays with your emotions!" Vanellope pointed down at Candela. "She's not the victim, do you get that?"

"She is the victim now." Taffyta kneeled down next to Candela. Her eye was red and was just starting to swell. "Candela…."

The battered girl quickly reached out and grabbed Taffyta, hugging her and sobbing on her shoulder.

"Hey!" Vanellope exclaimed, leaning down to pull Candela away.

Taffyta shot Vanellope a piercing glair, then returned the hug for Candela. "It's okay." She said to her.

"I'm sorry." Candela croaked.

"Don't be." Taffyta reassured her.

"Taffyta, don't fall for it." Vanellope warned.

Taffyta sighed. She stood back up and faced Vanellope. "She's hurt, Vanellope, thanks to you. I'm not falling for anything. I don't need your help."

"I'm trying to protect you!" Vanellope exclaimed.

"I told you I don't need protecting! I told you not to confront Candela!" Taffyta looked down at the ground, shaking her head. "You don't trust me to handle myself."

"Taffyta, I—"

"And if you can't trust me, then I can't trust you." She kept her gaze down. "Go."

"What?" Vanellope asked.

"Go. Leave." Taffyta commanded.

Vanellope stood, mouth hanging open. She shook her head, then turned away, leaving the athletic hallway.

Taffyta sighed, crouching down next to Candela. "Candela….I'm sorry for everything."

"It wasn't your fault." She said back. She stood to her feet, Taffyta following suit. "She just….followed me in here, told me to forget about you. I can't do that. I just can't."

Taffyta nodded. "I understand." She stepped closer and hugged Candela, who gasped in surprise, but hugged her back.

"Thank you for saving me from her." Candela said softly.

Taffyta sighed. She patted Candela's back. "You're welcome." She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling her insides twist and turn at the fact that she just had to save Candela from Vanellope. She never thought anyone would need to be saved from Vanellope.

Taffyta had seen a different side of her girlfriend now. She had thought she knew Vanellope. But, as it turned out, Vanellope was not who Taffyta thought she was.

Taffyta didn't really know her.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

((Flashback))

Vanellope didn't want to go to school today.

The eleven-year-old sat in her room, dressed and ready to go, but she couldn't help but the let apprehensive tension plague herself. Her insides were unsettled, her mind was racing, taking her back to the day before. Those mean girls pushing her into the boy's restroom. So embarrassing.

Vanellope had nothing to wear, at least, nothing she'd feel comfortable wearing today. She owned plenty of T-shirts, shorts, ragged jeans, and sneakers, but no skirts, dresses, sandals….she had nothing a girl would wear.

Before this school year, fifth grade, Vanellope never thought much of her style of dress. She always wore what she had. She was a rowdy sports brat, always playing soccer or basketball with the boys during recess, at least, that was the case in elementary school. The boys she played with always called her "Princess" just to annoy her. But they liked her, and she liked them. It was a shame that now, being at a new school, those boys were infatuated with the belief that they should be into dating, and no boy wanted to date Vanellope. She wasn't "hot" enough. (Vanellope gagged at the thought of dating a boy, especially at eleven-years-of-age. Some things don't change).

Puberty did not go easy on Vanellope, especially when it came to her voice. Beforehand, she always found the way some boys talked to be funny, with the sudden cracking and pitchy vibratos. Then her voice began to crack and fluctuate, which only contributed more to her inadvertently boyish persona. Good thing her hair was always long and up in a ponytail. She could've easily been mistaken for a boy.

Of course, that didn't stop her bullies. In elementary school, Vanellope had been blissfully unaware of the reality of bullying. Elementary kids always seemed so behaved and nice. But now in intermediate school, with all the kids suddenly feeling compelled to grow up, you had these little boys and girls trying to seem like men and women, doing grown-up things like dating, swearing, girls wearing make up, boys using body spray, all in an effort to seem like adults. Vanellope hated that idea. She was afraid of being an adult, especially if being an adult meant being egomaniacal and overly superior like her classmates were.

Tiffany, Izzy, and Georgia were their names. Tiffany was the ringleader of the clan. Long, curly blonde hair, always wearing pink and purple. If you took a fashion model from a magazine and aged her back to eleven, she'd look like Tiffany. She wore a disgusting amount of makeup. Not to mention, her parents were filthy rich, so she could wear anything they could buy.

Izzy was not exactly the brains of the bunch. She generally just copied everything Tiffany did and agreed with everything Tiffany said.

Georgia was Tiffany's right-hand girl. She always wore a bejeweled headband, shiny earrings, and colorful dresses. She had dark skin, mascaraed brown eyes, and shiny jewelry around her neck and wrists. She and Tiffany were a perfect one-two combo when it came to putting other people down.

Vanellope hated their stupid faces. She hated the way they laughed and grinned as they shoved her into the boys bathroom, which was not vacant, by the way. She hated their voices, she hated the way they dressed….but most of all, she hated what they called her—"Manellope". Just thinking of the awful nickname made Vanellope's stomach lurch.

She had to bring herself to leave her room and walk down the stairs. She knew the bus would not wait all morning for her. She grabbed her backpack from the mud room and reluctantly walked out to the yellow bus waiting for her.

She stared out the window as the bus drove along, ignoring the boy sitting next to her, who was playing some game on a smart phone. She tried her best to not worry, but she could only pretend to be ready to tackle the day when the bus pulled up to Green Trail Intermediate School.

All went fine that day until lunch. Vanellope had to sit at her class' table, so she just sat at the end eating her chicken sandwich, quietly listening to the girls nearby debating about the cutest boys in school while the nearby boys humorously chattered about some other guy who had touched a girl's butt during PE, who then subsequently got slapped by the girl. (They were both now in In-School Suspension).

Vanellope raised her hand to be allowed to go to the bathroom. She exited the cafeteria and walked to the nearby restrooms. She silently hoped it would be empty.

She was relieved to see no one inside. She entered the stall furthest from the door to handle business.

She was washing her hands at a sink when the door opened. She turned, and her heart sank when she saw Tiffany, Izzy, and Georgia enter.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Even long after what had happened, Vanellope was still shell-shocked.

She sat in the blue plastic chair just outside the principal's office. She rested her elbows on her knees, staring at the white wall from her seat. The events of the last thirty minutes played over through her head.

All the pent up frustration, the anger, the shame she had stored up because of those three girls finally came to volition. After all the insults, after all the harassment, Vanellope finally shot back.

She had punched Tiffany. Right on that perfect little nose of hers. The girly-girl had fallen down to her bum, screaming as she held her manicured hands over her nose. At that point, the three girls ran away to find a teacher, and now Vanellope was waiting to see the principal while Tiffany was getting her nose tended to in the nurse's office.

Vanellope felt guilty. She had been taught plenty of times at school and at her foster home that fighting back a bully wasn't the right thing to do. She should've just talked to a teacher, but she was almost certain that wouldn't help anything. She felt bad, but then again, it felt good to show Tiffany what it's like for someone to hurt you. Vanellope had not realized how much she wanted revenge until she finally got it.

The office door suddenly opened, and out stepped Principal North. He was a tall man with blond hair brushed to the side. He looked more like a presidential candidate than a school principal. He was well liked by the students, though. Always goofing around at pep rallies and celebrations. Vanellope never came to realize until now how respectfully authoritative he could be.

"Miss Vanellope." He said to her. He seemed to always address every student with "Miss" or "Mister" before their first name. "Come have a seat."

Vanellope sighed and gingerly walked in behind Principal North. His office was cluttered with countless pictures of his family, along with plenty of Carson Cavaliers merchandise.

She sat in one of the leather chairs in front of the desk. Principal North sat at his seat and rested his arms on his desktop. "So," he began. "Can you explain what occurred in the restroom just a little while ago?"

Vanellope bit her lip, looking down for a moment. "I….hit someone." It pained her to admit it, but she couldn't lie to the school principal.

"Why?" Principal North asked. "Did she say something?"

"Yeah." Vanellope nodded.

"What did she say?" He asked.

Vanellope squeezed her hands together, crossing and uncrossing her dangling legs. "She and her friends always make fun of me."

"Oh." Principal North nodded his head. "How long has this been going on?"

"All year."

"Sweetheart, you needed to have told someone." The principal sighed. "You trust your teachers, right?"

"Yeah. I just….didn't think it would do any good." She admitted.

"Vanellope, hitting people is never the answer." He told her. "I know she was mean, and I know what they said hurt you, but you shouldn't hurt them."

"I know, sir." Vanellope kept her eyes down.

"Vanellope, look at me." He requested.

Vanellope reluctantly looked up at her principal.

"I know being bullied is tough, but you're a good kid." He smiled. "You're different, and that's okay. They just say bad things to you because they think they're supposed to be the cool kids. They're avoiding their insecurities by probing yours. They're kind of like you, believe it or not."

"They're not like me." Vanellope shook her head.

"I know." He sighed, leaning back a bit in his seat. "I'm sorry for you being bullied, and I promise your teachers will help you out, but you hit a student. We have rules about that, and I'm afraid you'll need to serve a couple days suspension."

Vanellope let her head droop forward. "I'm sorry, sir."

"You're okay, Vanellope." He stood to his feet. "Your foster guardian will be here to pick you up soon."

"What's gonna happen to Tiffany and Izzy and Georgia?" Vanellope couldn't help but ask as she got to her feet.

"They are bullies, and they will be given a bully's punishment."

He lead Vanellope out to the front office, where Mrs. Minnie was waiting for her. "Vanellope, what happened?" She asked, but kneeled down to hug her.

"I hit someone." Vanellope said again, hugging her back. She lied her head on Mrs. Minnie's shoulder.

"Because they were being mean?" Mrs. Minnie asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay." Mrs. Minnie stood up, still holding Vanellope in her arms. The eleven-year-old didn't want to let go. "Let's go home. You need a little break from school, don't you think?"

"Yeah." Vanellope answered with slight enthusiasm at the "break from school" part.

Mrs. Minnie carried Vanellope out to her car and sat her in the back seat. As she drove, Vanellope asked "Were you ever bullied, Mrs. Minnie."

"Oh, yes, sweetie." Mrs. Minnie nodded. "Kids made fun of my frizzy red hair. They called me 'Carrot', because I looked like a carrot."

"That's mean."

"Actually, my hair did look like a carrot." Mrs. Minnie chuckled. "You see, Vanellope, you're different from most girls, and that's why you got bullied. But guess what….you can't change just because of what they say. You like they way you dress, right?"

"I guess." Vanellope picked at the hole in her jeans.

"You're a beautiful little girl, okay?" Mrs. Minnie told her.

"Thanks." Vanellope smiled slightly. Mrs. Minnie was the only person to ever call her "beautiful".

"Just know that you should never hit some one, just because they make you mad, okay?"

"Okay."

"You promise me?"

Vanellope nodded. "I promise you."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

**((A/N: I love getting reviews, but dang! lul'a bird, you make me feel so happy knowing that there is someone out there who really enjoys my writing! Literature is my passion. When I'm not writing, I'm reading, and when I'm not reading, I'm writing. My ultimate dream is to one day be a famous novelist, and getting commentary on my fanfics really helps me hone my skills. Thank you to my precious readers for reading, reviewing, and being patient. It's been a long while since my last update, so have a double serving!**

**And just incase I don't update beforehand (though I hope I do), MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY NEW YEAR, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!**

**Without further ado, I will now hereby confiscate your feels. Read on!))**

Vanellope was walking home.

Sure, she had classes to attend, but she didn't care. Right now was one of those rare moments where Vanellope couldn't correct her emotions enough to function in school. Usually she'd just remind herself that Minty and Citrusella where at school, and more recently, Taffyta, too. She probably would just take an online homeschool if not for them. But she didn't care right now. The fact that she was now truant, the fact that she had to walk three miles to get home, the fact that she'd probably have to serve In-School Suspension the next school day, it all didn't matter. Nothing else in her life mattered. All that mattered was her right fist, Candela's left eye, and Taffyta.

Vanellope felt the same now as she had when she had punched that mean girl back in intermediate school. It felt vengefully good at the time, but she now regretted it. For years since the incident in the fifth grade, Vanellope had promised herself she'd never hurt anyone ever again. Four years later, she had let down her eleven-year-old self.

It was overcast that day. Vanellope could smell the moisture in the air. Rain was imminent, if only she cared about getting wet. She walked down one of the streets in the direction of her house, disrupting traffic considerably, if only she cared about people getting places. She kept her hands tucked in her pockets, her head down. She didn't care if anyone saw her, but she fought the urge to cry anyway. She never cried. Crying was futile in all imaginable situations. Crying alone, especially, was a huge waste of time and energy. So why did she feel like letting go and crying for once? No one within earshot or eyesight cared about that sad-looking rough-and-tumble gay freshman girl walking away from Carson High. It doesn't even feel good to cry. So why did she want to?

By the time she arrived at her house, she had probably missed an entire class period. She had probably been counted absent, despite someone probably telling the teacher "I saw her earlier today". That didn't matter, though.

The house was quiet. No TVs were on. No lights were on. It was surreal in a way for Vanellope. You don't realize how rarely you get to experience complete quiet. Complete aloneness. (Besides a white rabbit who was asleep in her little pen anyway).

Vanellope went to her room. Everything was as she left it. Bedding scattered in a mess, closet door still open from her and Taffyta getting dressed so hastily that morning. Taffyta's used clothes from the day before still sat in a pile on the far side of her bed.

She crawled onto her bed and sat down with her back resting against the headboard. Her bed's only pillow, the pillow she shared with Taffyta every night, in her arms. She stared at the faded light green wall across the room for a few seconds, tightening her arms around her pillow, until she finally gave in. No matter how futile, no matter how much of a waste it was, Vanellope began to cry.

"I'm an idiot…." She croaked to herself, tears running from her eyes, down her cheeks, and into the pillow in her arms. She pulled her knees towards herself, pushing the pillow against her chest. She gasped and sobbed, remembering everything she had done that day.

"'You hit her!'" She heard Taffyta say in her head. "'You HIT her!'"

"I'm sorry, Taff…." Vanellope mumbled into the pillow.

She cried quietly, despite having the chance to yell and scream as loud as she could in her empty home. She was embarrassed for crying. She didn't want anyone to know.

Or did she?

She pulled her phone out, and as quickly as she could, she typed out a text for Taffyta. In a couple seconds, she sent it. She then threw her phone to the ground, undressed herself, and pulled her covers over her head to continue crying.

"I'm crying about you." Her text read. "I wish you were here."

Vanellope fell asleep a few minutes later. She continued to cry in her sleep.

Crying is stupid.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Tennis practice was a blur. Taffyta's mind was racing the whole time. She may have been performing impressively as usual, but she didn't care about tennis at the moment.

Candela was out there with her. Her black eye was as obvious as as it could be. Candela had made up a story about getting hit by a falling textbook when trying to retrieve it from her locker. Coach Brown believed her. She'll believe in anything except global warming.

Taffyta had plenty of time to think while the tennis team began their daily two mile jog. Usually, jogging was pretty leisurely for Taffyta, but with her brain running as fast as she was, she was beginning to tire.

What was Taffyta going to say to Vanellope? She just saw her punch Candela. What could she possibly say? Taffyta always hated violent people, her entire life. Now that she knew Vanellope could be pushed far enough to punch another girl, she had to think hard about their relationship.

It hurt to question her girlfriendship with Vanellope. She still loved her, no doubting that. She still loved Vanellope's humor and her smile. But she was protective, and Taffyta didn't want protecting. She handled her problems before meeting Vanellope. She could handle them now.

Well, that's what she told herself, at least.

Candela was a sweet girl. Sure, perhaps selfish, but Taffyta couldn't knock her too much. She just wanted love, and love makes people act weird. It makes them act unlike their normal selves.

The longer she ran, and the more intense the fiery pain in her legs because, she started feeling more and more guilty. She began to think this was her fault. If only she hadn't told Vanellope about Candela kissing her that night after the volleyball game, Vanellope would never have grown to dislike Candela so much that she would hurt her. Taffyta could have handled things herself.

Thinking about that only made her feel worse. She didn't want to hide things from Vanellope. Yet, maybe hiding her kiss with Candela could have made things better. Vanellope would still be her funny, gentle self, and Taffyta could let Candela down nice and easily.

Something popped into her head at that moment. The voice in her head told her "Vanellope is doing this because she loves me."

More guilt piled on. Vanellope's actions were worthy of criticism, but she was doing it for love. Though a contradiction, she had hit Candela because of love. She didn't want to lose Taffyta. Love made her do it.

At that moment, Taffyta just wanted to keep running, through the school to find Vanellope and hug her, regardless if she was in the middle of an English presentation, an Algebra teat, or a lab experiment. Taffyta still wanted to talk to her about her anger, but she just wanted a hug more than anything. She wanted to let Vanellope know that she was still in love with her.

Tennis practice ended, and Taffyta went back to the locker room to change. There was no time to shower, so she just began to throw her borrowed shirt and shorts on. She grabbed her phone, and at that exact moment, it buzzed.

Taffyta looked at the screen. On it read a message from Vanellope.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Where are you?!"

"Are you okay?!"

"Vanellope, answer me"

"Vanny"

"I still love you. You know that, right?"

"Are you at school?"

"Van, please reply!"

Taffyta helplessly typed message after message, sending them to Vanellope, but she wasn't getting anything back. Vanellope wasn't even reading the texts.

Taffyta had been feeling physically odd ever since reading Vanellope's text. The fact that she wasn't responding made her even more uneasy. That, along with all the water she drank after practice, made Taffyta feel sick. So sick, she desperately had to interrupt her teacher's lecture to go see the nurse.

The moment she entered the nurse's office, she doubled over and hurled in the trash can near the nurse's desk. When she stood back up, shivering and whimpering, she saw the nurse, a middle aged lady with stringy black hair, glance at her quizzically. "Lemme guess. Stomach ache?"

Taffyta left school ten minutes later. Even though she was certain she wasn't actually sick with anything, Taffyta honestly didn't want to finish the school day. She was worried about Vanellope too much, which is why she puked in the first place.

She was instructed to drive straight home by her mom when the nurse called her, but Taffyta knew better. She knew where Vanellope was, and that's where she was going.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The front door to Vanellope's house was unlocked. Taffyta entered and looked around the living room. No sign of Vanellope. Taffyta then went straight to Vanny's bedroom. The door was closed. Taffyta opened it quietly.

Only the very end of Vanellope's ponytail was out from under the covers for Taffyta to see. The faint sound of Vanellope inhaling and exhaling indicated she was asleep. Taffyta approached and sat down on the very edge of the bed. She wished she could look at her face. Even though she was a bit cross with her, Taffyta wanted to see Vanellope's sleeping face. She needed the comfort.

Taffyta didn't want to wait any longer. She reached out and ever so slightly shook Vanellope's shoulder. A sudden gasp indicated the end of Vanellope's slumber, and she peeked her hazel eyes out from under her green covers. "Taff?" She croaked.

Taffyta leaned down and kissed Vanellope's forehead. The kiss lingered a couple breaths before Taffyta removed her lips away but kept her forehead against Vanellope's. "I'm really mad at you."

"I'm sorry." Vanellope croaked again. She really was, too.

"I know." Taffyta said.

"I don't want to lose you."

"I know."

Vanellope closed her eyes for a moment. She reached her hand out from under the covers, pleading for Taffyta to take it. Taffyta obliged.

"I know." Taffyta repeated once again just for the hell of it.

"Tell Candela I'm sorry." Vanellope said.

"That's your job, love."

"I feel awful."

"I know."

"Stop that. It's annoying."

"I know."

Vanellope cracked the very minimum variation of a smile, but it was enough to make Taffyta smile back.

"Seriously, though." Taffyta's voice sounded more serious. "I'm very mad about you hitting Candela."

"I know."

Taffyta huffed, squeezing the boney part of her nose. "Van, I'm serious."

"You're my girlfriend, Taff?" She said it as a question, not a statement.

"I am." Taffyta nodded. "Candela's not taking you from me. Just let me handle her from now on. She'll never make me forget you."

Vanellope closed her eyes again. "Please don't forget me."

It was the way she said that, the helpless desperation in her voice, that made Taffyta feel as if her heart had disintegrated.

Taffyta lightly touched Vabellope's cheek. The slight contact made Vanellope wince, but she liked it after the initial surprise. "Vanellope," Taffyta said to her. "I can't forget you."

Vanellope smiled ever so slightly. She reached up and held onto Taffyta's outstretched hand. "Thank you."

Taffyta then gave Vanellope a very much needed kiss, one that lasted for about a dozen breaths before they needed to breathe through their mouths for a few moments. "Mind if I join you under the covers?" Taffyta asked.

"I'm not dressed." Vanellope answered.

"Doesn't bother me." Taffyta shook her head.

Vanellope blushed. "Okay." She lifted her covers off to allow Taffyta to lay beside her. She wore a black bra and light blue panties covered in cartoonish penguins. Taffyta could never think of how sexy Vanellope could be before acknowledging her dorkiness first.

Taffyta pushed off her shoes and socks, then reached behind her back to remove her bra, leaving her/Vanellope's t-shirt on. She was just more comfortable that way. She then lied down beside Vanellope, and the covers fell over her, enveloping the two girls, alone in the room, alone in the house.

"You're beautiful." Taffyta heard Vanellope mumble after a few moments of silent cuddling. They each had both of their hands joined together, foreheads nudging each other. Their ankles tangled with each other. Their warm breaths condensing on their faces.

"I know." Taffyta finally responded, smirking.

"Ugh." Vanellope faked annoyance.

"You're beautiful, too." Taffyta told her.

"You're just saying that because I said it first." Vanellope accused.

"I'm saying that because it's true." Taffyta argued. "You're more beautiful than you know."

"That's not saying a lot." Vanellope said. "I don't know, is the thing."

"You're the most gorgeous girl I know." Taffyta encouraged.

"I'm not that great." Vanellope persisted. "I hit Candela." The guilt in her voice was very much audible.

Taffyta sighed. "I know you're sorry about that, and you can apologize to her. I forgive you, okay?"

"Alright." Vanellope said. She sighed through her nose. "I'm gonna be in big trouble Monday."

"You'll be okay, love."

"In-School Suspension is nothing to worry about. I just don't get to see you all day."

"I'll miss you." Taffyta told her.

"I'll draw a bunch of doodles of you just to cope with the crippling loneliness. I'll give you one, if you want."

"Can you draw me wearing a sombrero?" Taffyta asked.

"Why a sombrero?"

"You're not the only one who can be dorky for no reason."

"Sombreros are dorky?"

"Sombreros aren't dorky. It's the person wearing the sombrero who's the dork, unless they're, like, in a mariachi band where they wear the sombrero professionally."

"Professional Sombrero Wearer. I know what I wanna be when I grow up."

Taffyta laughed out loud. How their conversation had traveled from calling each other beautiful to discussing sombreros, Taffyta was not certain. But it was reassuring. Even after what Vanellope did, and even after wallowing in guilt until Taffyta came to her, Vanellope was still joking around. Taffyta could still hear some uncertainty in Vanellope's voice, probably because she still felt guilty. Vanellope would be okay, though. She just had a rough, emotional day.

"What about the football game?" Vanellope asked after a couple silent minutes.

"I was excused from school, so I don't have to go." Taffyta explained.

"That reminds me—how'd you get out of school?" Vanellope asked.

"I threw up." Taffyta answered bluntly. "I was so worried about you, it made me sick."

"Wow." Vanellope was quiet for a moment. "You vomit, then come to my house to kiss me and breathe all over me."

Taffyta snickered. "I drank some water afterwards. I'm not actually sick." She covered her mouth. "And is my breath that bad?"

"Your breath is fine. I'm kidding." Vanellope told her. "I'm actually a little flattered that you care about me so much that you puked."

"It's a real sign of how much I love you." Taffyta responded jokingly with a smile.

"I love you, too." Vanellope responded. "I don't think I need to puke to prove it."

"You don't." Taffyta said. "Please. I believe you."

They remained silent for a few more minutes. Their initial position was becoming uncomfortable, so Taffyta rolled onto her back, Vanellope rolling over to lay her head just under Taffyta's chin. Taffyta let her hands go to wrap her arms around Vanellope's bare back, subtly grazing her hands over her skin. The way they could be so intimate, and yet they wanted nothing more but to simply cuddle and talk a little. It showed how they didn't need to go very far to satisfy their desires for affection. They simply needed to snuggle a little, and joke about sombreros or vomiting.

Taffyta could feel Vanellope's chest move with hers as they inhaled and exhaled in sync with one another. Vanellope's eyes were closed, but her hyperactive habit of fidgeting her right ankle around confirmed that she was still awake. Vanellope's hands rested on Taffyta's shoulders, clenching and unclenching every few seconds. It made Taffyta wonder how she had managed to fall asleep all those other times they had shared a bed. Vanellope was fidgety like this all the time, except when in bed. Maybe she was thinking about something.

"Taffy," She said quietly. Her eyes remained shut.

"Yeah?" Taffyta said.

"Do you really love me?" Vanellope asked.

Taffyta was silent. Talk about a big question. It wasn't exactly hard to answer, but hearing Vanellope ask that made Taffyta's heart do a somersault. "Uh….of course. Yes, I do. Why do you ask?"

"I just….I'm thinking about how we've known each other for only a little while. I mean….most couples don't even kiss in the first two weeks. At least….I think."

"Oh, shush." Taffyta smiled subtly and gave Vanellope's head a nuzzle. "Don't worry about what 'most couples' do. We aren't like most couples."

Vanellope offered an amused huff. "Yeah, just like most couples are fifty percent female, fifty percent male. We're a little female-heavy."

"Exactly." Another one of Vanellope's mannerisms of odd point of views. Taffyta loved it when she said things like that. "Why worry about how quickly we've progressed? Sure, most couples don't kiss that early, heck, we're cuddling in bed with a distinct shortage of clothing."

"That's so for me, at least." Vanellope said.

"The way I see it: we've gone fast, sure. We may seem like we're just in it to have fun, seeing how we've done so much together in such a small amount of time, but I know we're in love. I'm not afraid to say I love you just because we haven't known each other for a super long time. The duration of our knowledge of each other's existence doesn't correlate to our affection for each other."

Vanellope was silent for a moment. "You lost me at 'correlate'."

Taffyta chuckled. "Sorry. I'm on one of my reading trips. I say sophisticated stuff when I read a lengthy novel each week. I'm really hooked on John Green's work right now, so I'm really into weird comparisons and personifications, so I—"

"I'm not certain what you're talking about, but your nerdy talk is a big turn on, so I'll just let it be."

"Nerdy talk?" Taffyta asked. "I didn't realize I was being nerdy."

"You rarely do. Don't worry about it, though. I find people who talk about stuff I don't understand very attractive."

"So….you must find your Algebra teacher very attractive?"

"I am both disgusted and offended."

Taffyta giggled. "Sorry, sorry."

"It's fine, it's fine." Vanellope sighed with a smile.

"So if I heard right," Taffyta said. "You find my 'nerdy talk' sexy?"

"Taff, if you could start wearing big, dopey glasses, a NASA cap, and a T-shirt with Einstein's face on it, I would not be able to stand."

"So you're saying I should go shopping for Einstein paraphernalia?" Taffyta asked.

"There you go with the big words again." Vanellope giggled.

Taffyta huffed and kissed Vanellope's head. "Well, I'm glad you value my nerdiness, just like I value your geekiness."

"I'm a geek? How is that different from a nerd?" Vanellope asked.

"A nerd is into science and fiction, while geeks are into science fiction." Taffyta explained.

"Cool analogy. Yeah, I guess that's me. Although I'm not sure about science fiction as much as other stuff losers are into."

"You're not a loser." Taffyta told her.

"I am a loser. I lose at fitting in with societal norms."

"Wow, that was good."

"You're not the only one who can say smart stuff." Vanellope teased.

"I must admit, you talking nerdy is quite arousing." Taffyta giggled.

"I thought I was geeky, not nerdy." Vanellope giggled back.

"Either way works for me." Taffyta tightened her arms around Vanellope.

"So we both are attracted to nerdy-/geeky-ness?"

"Let's just say I'm attracted to you, and you only."

"Ditto."

A brief silence.

"What else do you love about me?" Taffyta asked.

Vanellope smiled, her eyes closed. "I love the fact that I've been using your boobies as a pillow this whole time, and you haven't seemed to notice."

"I've noticed." Taffyta blushed. "I didn't think you realized what you were doing."

"Good point. It was unintentional. Trust me."

Taffyta chuckled. "I certainly trust you."

"You do make a good pillow." Vanellope said, grinning.

"Do I really? Most pillows have more fluff than I do."

Vanellope laughed. "You're my favorite pillow in the world."

"So I'm a pillow?" Taffyta asked, rolling her eyes.

"Right now, you are." Vanellope grabbed Taffyta's hand. "You're also a pretty great girlfriend."

"You are, too." Taffyta said back.

"I'm sorry." Vanellope said.

"For what?"

"For earlier."

"Oh. Right." Taffyta sighed, suddenly remembering Vanellope hitting Candela, as well as the fact that Vanellope was currently committing truancy. Yet, the time she had spent with Vanellope just now, it helped her forget about all of that, at least temporarily. She had fun just talking, and laughing, and kissing, and being Vanellope's pillow. Taffyta sort of wished they could just do this everyday, with no regard for other things besides each other. Perhaps they could run away, from school, from Kansas City, from everything, and just be the nerdy-geeky, fast-going, fun-loving lesbian couple they were meant to be.

Taffyta hadn't realized just how many times she had thought about that dream. Although, she was too mature to let such an idea hold any water in her mind. Her free-spirit, teenager side liked to interlude sometimes.

Of course, they didn't need that. In fact, they needed school. They needed those antagonists to test them, to strengthen them. It would be hard. But just like how a broken bone heals and becomes stronger than before, they'd experience some rough patches, but they'd get through them.

Love is too much of a rare thing to waste, especially if the kind of love you have is such a taboo among the world. Taffyta knew Vanellope wasn't perfect. She couldn't expect her to be. But she was that special kind of "imperfect" that made Taffyta unable not to love her.

These things weren't supposed to be easy, anyway. They were fifteen. There were things that were yet to come.

Taffyta and Vanellope had a bend-don't-break relationship. Taffyta might get angry, as Vanellope might, too. But Taffyta felt she could never bring herself to stop loving Vanellope. She hoped Vanellope felt the same.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

It was about an hour later when Vanellope's phone, which was still in her discarded shorts, started going nuts. Minty and Citrusella kept texting her, noticing her absence. Soon there after, Taffyta's phone began pinging and beeping because of their friends trying to get ahold of them.

"I feel sorry for them." Vanellope mumbled. She still rested her head on Taffyta's "pillow". She'd slept a little bit, but could no longer thanks to the Ringtone Plague.

"Sorry for who?" Taffyta asked. She had stared at the ceiling for most of the past hour, gently feeling Vanellope's back, counting the bumps of her vertebrae over and over while thinking about her, listening to her snoring.

"Minty and Citrus." Vanellope explained. "They're sort of, like, third wheels, you know? Now that we're together, do you think they feel left out?"

"They have one another, don't they?" Taffyta asked.

"Yeah." Vanellope agreed. "But they're sort of complete opposites, like, Minty is into sports and cars, and Citrusella's obsessed with anime and books. I was sort of the halfway between them, ya know? I translated for them, I guess."

"Well, just invite them over." Taffyta suggested. "I like those girls. They're nice, and they supported us when we came out."

"But I wanna spend time with you." Vanellope mumbled.

"I wanna spend time with you, too, but I kinda want to hang out with them, though. Minty is funny, and Citrusella is a sweetie. You kinda are a combination of them."

"Yeah." Vanellope was silent for a couple moments. "You realize inviting them over would require me getting off of you."

"It's a necessary sacrifice." Taffyta said.

"And I'll have to get dressed." Vanellope added.

"Oh well." Taffyta sighed. "You're cute no matter what you wear."

Vanellope lifted herself off of Taffyta. As she did, Taffyta held her breath for the couple seconds Vanellope had her half-naked body suspended over her. Taffyta would probably never get over how she had managed to not only get a girlfriend, and not only for that girlfriend to be funny and loving like Vanellope, but to get a girlfriend who was as fricking beautiful as Vanellope. She wasn't the mainstream definition of beautiful, but she was Taffyta's definition of beautiful.

Vanellope retrieved her phone from her shorts. Meanwhile, Taffyta pulled her own phone out. She had a countless amount of texts from Minty, Citrusella, even Gloyd.

Minty: "Where r u? And Vanny?

"Taffyta!"

"Did u 2 skip?"

"Am I interrupting something?"

Citrusella: "Taffyta?"

"You two disappeared. Please respond."

"I heard you were sick. Are you alright?"

"I'm really worried about you and Van. Reply, please!"

Gloyd: "You aren't at practice. Is everything alright?"

"You and Vanellope aren't around, according to your friends. I hope everything's alright between you two."

Taffyta took a moment to send the three of them messages conforming that she and Vanellope were, in fact, alright. She didn't explain why they left school, though. She figured she'd go over that with them later.

Vanellope told her friends that she was okay as well. She then proceeded to invite them over. Minty mentioned the football game, but Vanellope explained going to the game was a bad idea because 1: Taffyta was checked out of school sick, so her being at the game would make her look like she was trying to get out of her managerial duties, and 2: The game was in Jefferson City, and Taffyta wasn't allowed to drive that far herself. Vanellope also just flat out didn't want to go.

Nonetheless, Citrusella and Minty agreed to meet up at Taffyta's house, as Taffyta suggested. They had never seen where she lived. Vanellope accused Taffyta of showing off her upper-middle-class-ness, Taffyta simply shrugged.

Vanellope was just getting dressed when they heard the front door open. Vanellope sped up the process of getting her shorts and shirt on just in time for Ralph to enter her room. "Hey, Ralph." She greeted nervously.

Ralph looked back and forth between his adopted daughter and her girlfriend. He noticed their bed-headed-ness, their barefooted-ness, and the fact that Vanellope's shirt was partially tucked into her shorts. "I got a call from the school," he started out saying. "You were counted truant for fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth period. You have an all-day In-School Suspension to serve Monday. Want to explain?"

Vanellope, in fact, did not want to explain, but she did anyway. She explained everything, from the fight with Candela, to the argument with Taffyta, to her immense depression, to her leaving school. She also told him that Taffyta left because she was sick. She emphasized the fact that they were not skoodly-doodling each other!

But despite the lack of skoodly-doodling, Vanellope was grounded anyway.

This kind of messed up their plans for a sleepover with Minty and Citrusella. Taffyta would still be there, at least. Vanellope had to stay home, though. Just as Taffyta was about to go home, she whispered to Vanellope to try and sneak out. Vanellope promised to try.

The thing was, Ralph was done working for the day. He had tomorrow off, too, so he had no reason to go to bed early. Vanellope had to think of a plan to get out of the house and sneak over to Taffyta's. Meanwhile, Taffyta drove home wondering how this was all gonna work. Minty and Citrusella would be at her house at six. She hoped they'd be okay with Vanellope not being there.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Vanellope not being at her house when Minty and Citrusella arrived, in fact, wasn't okay. They still thought something was wrong with her.

"I promise she's okay." Taffyta told them. She had just granted them entry into her house, and the first thing they said was, well, "Hi", and then they asked about Vanellope.

"Why'd you two leave school?" Citrusella asked her. Citrusella's blue hair was down, with a black beanie on her head. She wore rectangular glasses and a Fall Out Boy hoodie, with her usual blue-plaid skirt.

"I got sick." Taffyta explained. She was leading them to the living room. Sofia was still out. "And….Vanellope left because…." She sighed and began explaining everything that had happened.

"She punched her?" Minty asked. She sat next to Citrusella on the couch, Taffyta sitting in one of the chairs. "Heck, I would've, too."

"So Candela is in love with you?" Citrusella asked. Taffyta nodded. "Wow."

"She's had a crush on me ever since meeting me. She says I'm the only girl she's ever liked." Taffyta shook her head. "I don't know if I should believe her."

A brief silence followed. "I don't really know what to say." Citrusella admitted.

"I'm not familiar with these sorts of things." Minty said.

Taffyta sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Candela's nice, you know, as far as I know. Vanellope thinks she plays with people's emotions and things like that. I just don't buy it."

The room was silent for a few moments.

"She's grounded, huh?" Minty asked Taffyta.

"Yeah. Apparently Ralph found it suspicious that his daughter had been counted truant at school, and he comes home to find her hanging around with her girlfriend in her bedroom." Taffyta huffed in exasperation. "He probably thinks we're going all out with each other." She shook her head. "I'm not that kind of a person."

"So what is she gonna do?" Citrusella asked.

"She's gonna try to sneak out. Hopefully Ralph doesn't catch her." Taffyta pushed herself to her feet. "Well, it's the three of us for now. Anyone what iced tea?"

Minty and Citrusella both nodded. Taffyta went to the kitchen and quickly retrieved three glasses of tea. Once she returned, she sat back down in her chair and said "Minty, I'm not the only one here who's dating someone, right?"

Minty smiled. She took a sip of her drink and nodded. "Swizzle is a sweetheart. Things have gone great."

"No drama or anything?" Taffyta asked her.

Minty shrugged. "Not really. I know, boring."

"Have you two kissed yet?" Citrusella asked.

Minty nodded after taking another drink. "Oh, of course! Three days after the day he asked me out, he kissed me right before heading off to practice. It was a little weird, like, our lips didn't align perfectly, but I liked the way he laughed afterwards. It's like he knew it could've gone better. But I liked it. He's kind of a goof when you get to know him. He's usually all conserved and studious, but he's not afraid to joke around and act like a buffoon around me. It's like he's just as excited about being my friend as he is being my boyfriend."

Taffyta chuckled. "You know, I like listening to stories about other people's relationships." She drank from her glass. "You two are a cute couple, it sounds like."

"Yeah." Minty's cheeks turned red. "On our second date, we went to Joey's, you know, that Australian steakhouse over on McAdoo Street. Long story short, I accidentally knocked the pepper shaker into his lap, and got pepper everywhere. He was sneezing for about ten minutes, and I felt awful, but afterwards, he just called me 'Peppermint', and we just kept on with the date."

"Does he call you 'Peppermint' all the time?" Citrusella asked.

Minty nodded. "Sometimes. I'll be honest, I like the name. It reminds me that even though I messed up, Swizz just thought it to be me being clumsy. He's so nice."

"Do you have a name for him?" Taffyta asked.

"I call him 'Beanie-Boy' sometimes, 'cause he's always got his beanie. Every time I call him that, he just pulls his beanie down over his ears like he's not listening." Minty chuckled just thinking about it.

"What about you, Elly?" Taffyta asked Citrusella.

"Hm?" She looked at her. "Oh, I'm not dating anyone."

"Do you want to?" Taffyta asked, smiling.

Citrusella's cheeks flushed red. "I don't know." She took a sip of tea and spoke with the cup still to her mouth. "Might be nice."

"Anyone in particular?" Minty asked.

Citrusella shrugged. "Well….there is this boy in my journalism class…."

"Oooo, Citrus got a crush!" Minty teased, poking her friend in the arm.

Citrusella playfully pushed Minty's arm away. She was blushing like mad. "When we were practicing interviewing, he was my partner, and….I don't know. He was so awkward and kind of nervous. Last week, we presented our journal entries of the week, and he was so nervous presenting his. He usually just likes being quiet." She smiled. "He's adorable. I like shy boys."

"Aww!" Taffyta giggled. "What's his name?"

Citrusella held her glass with both hands. Her cheeks perked as she grinned. "His name is Jamie."

"Jamie Barclay? That really tall kid?" Minty asked.

"Mmhm." Citrusella nodded.

"He's in my Algebra class. He's, like, the smartest kid in there. All he does is do his assignment, then read a book."

"He likes books. He told me that." Citrusella grinned. "Smart, shy, tall…."

"Ask him out." Taffyta suggested.

Citrusella looked at Taffyta as if she had just sworn a curse on her family. "Are you kidding?! I'm as socially awkward as him, except around my friends! What if he says no?!"

"Why would he say no to you?" Minty asked.

Citrusella was silent for a moment. "Well….you're right, I guess. He's too sweet to say no."

"Ask him to go with you to that geek store you love so much." Minty suggested.

"Books And Brews?" Citrusella asked.

"Yeah, that place. Get a coffee with him and buy one of those comic books you like or something."

"It's called 'manga'." Citrusella grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah." Minty chuckled. "I'm not fluent in nerdish."

"You are not." Citrusella agreed.

That's when Taffyta received a text from Vanellope. "I'm making my move." It read. "Wish me luck."

"Vanny's coming." Taffyta announced. "She's trying to sneak out now."

"Hopefully Ralph doesn't catch her." Minty said.

"What if he does?" Citrusella asked Taffyta.

The blonde sighed. "He'd probably ground her for the weekend." She rubbed her nose. "I hope I'm not causing her to get into too much trouble. She was truant today, and she's trying to sneak out….was she like that before meeting me?" She asked Vanellope's long-time friends.

Minty and Citrusella glanced at each other. "She'd occasionally try to sneak out to hang out with us if she would get grounded." Minty answered. "She'd never skip school, though."

Taffyta nodded. "I don't want Ralph to think I'm a bad influence on her."

"How could he think that?" Citrusella asked. "Aren't you a straight-A student?"

Taffyta nodded. "Mmhm."

"If anything, he'd think you'd be a good influence on her." Citrusella told her.

Taffyta managed a small smile. "Thanks." She looked up at the wall clock. It was getting close to half-past-six. Her mother could be expected home any minute. "I'm just uncertain if he trusts me. A while back, he and my mom sort of pinched at each other's nerves. They're both afraid that one of us will break the other's heart."

Minty groaned. "I hate it when parents are like that. My dad doesn't trust Swizz because he thinks he's just a 'football playing playa'. He thinks just because he's a handsome older boy means he's just using me. But Swizz really likes me. I know it."

"Yeah, your parents are just trying to look out for you, but they're also supposed to prepare you for the real world." Citrusella said. "And the unpredictable nature of dating is part of that."

Taffyta huffed a laugh. "That was deep."

"You think so?" Citrusella chuckled.

"Yeah. I mean, in all honesty, I don't really care if Ralph trusts me or not. I have no intentions of hurting Vanellope. It's his fault if he doesn't believe that." Taffyta then heard the faint sound of a horn honking outside; the sound of her mom locking her car. "That must be my mom." She told her friends. "She'll have some questions about me being sick, I'm sure." She got up from her seat. "Be right back. Y'all can get more tea if you want."

She approached the front door and opened it. She stepped outside expecting to see her mother's BMW parked next to her Toyota.

Instead, she saw Ralph's GMC truck, with Ralph approaching with an obviously displeased look on his face.

"Uh…." She struggled to find the words to say. "Hi, sir, uh….why are you—"

"I'm here for Vanellope." He interrupted.

Taffyta choked on her own breath. She thought to play dumb. "Uh, she isn't here."

"She will be, though." He looked around. "May I wait inside until she gets here?"

Taffyta stood in thunderstruck silence, managing to nod a few seconds later. Ralph walked to front door, Taffyta following behind him. With his back turned, she frantically pulled her phone from her pocket, trying to compose a text to Vanellope.

"Trying to tell her I'm here?" Ralph suddenly looked over his shoulder at her.

Taffyta stared up at him, then slowly put her phone away. She felt as if a boa constrictor was slowly squeezing her chest as she walked into her home behind the mountainous adoptive father of her girlfriend.

Minty and Citrusella seemed to be rather surprised by his arrival, to say the least. "Hm. I feel a little better knowing you two wouldn't have been alone." He was facing towards the other two girls, though it seemed like he was addressing Taffyta.

"Listen, sir," Taffyta stammered. "I know you must think I'm putting Vanellope up to this, but—"

"That's not at all what I think." Ralph faced her. "I'm here to get my daughter. I don't have a problem with you at the moment."

"Uh…." Taffyta bunched the legs of her shorts in her hands like she usually would when she was nervous. "How'd you know she—"

"I walked into her room to find her gone with the window unlocked." Ralph answered her.

Taffyta tried to swallow down the lump in her throat. She tugged on her sleeve in her fit of fidgeting. "Sir, I'm sorry about everything that has happened today. I just—"

"Don't apologize." He shook his head. "Like I said, I'm not mad at you."

"But…." Taffyta wanted to argue, but it wasn't like she wanted him to be mad at her. She didn't want him to be too mad at Vanellope, though. She rubbed her forehead. "Can I talk to Vanellope before you take her home?"

Ralph peered down at her. "Talk to her about what?"

Taffyta didn't really have an answer. "I just….want to tell her good night."

Ralph glared at her for a few more seconds, then nodded. "Very well."

Taffyta's phone buzzed. She read a text from Vanellope. It read "I'm at your back door."

"Is that Vanellope?" Ralph asked.

"Uh huh." Taffyta nodded.

Ralph looked over at her phone screen. "Go let her in."

Taffyta sighed. She pocketed her phone and made her way through the kitchen to the back entrance of the house. There stood Vanellope, smiling when she saw Taffyta open the door. "Hey there!" She greeted. "I almost gave up on climbing your fence. Why not get chain link instead?"

Taffyta nodded, but failed to even smile at Vabellope's joke. She simply grabbed Vanellope's hand and led her inside. "Hey. I'm sorry."

"About what?" Vanellope asked. Her question was answered when she stepped into the living room. When she saw Ralph standing there, she froze instantly. Taffyta felt Vanellope's hand begin to sweat in hers. "R-Ralph…." She stuttered.

"You need to come home." He told his daughter. "I need to stop assuming that you'll respect the fact that you're grounded for a reason."

"Ralph, I…." She squeezed Taffyta's hand. She turned and looked at her. "Why didn't you tell me he was here?" She whispered.

"He told me not to." Taffyta whispered back. "I'm sorry."

Vanellope looked towards Minty and Citrusella, who both seemed to be silently apologizing to her.

"I promised Taffyta and you could tell each other good night, then we gotta go." Ralph said to Vanellope.

Vanellope looked at Taffyta helplessly. Taffyta couldn't think of anything else to do but to hug her. "Good night." She told her.

Vanellope weakly hugged Taffyta back. She managed to respond. "Night."

As they leaned away from each other, Taffyta whispered "love you" to Vanellope. She didn't want to say it out loud in front of Ralph. Vanellope nodded and smiled as best as she could in response.

Ralph stepped forward and took Vanellope's hand. "Come on." He walked her towards the front door. Vanellope waved to her friends before they left the house.

Ralph waited until they were in his truck to start scolding Vanellope. "Vanellope, I've lost count how many times you've completely disrespected me by disobeying me."

"I'm sorry." She couldn't think of anything else. She simply stared at the dashboard, hands grasping the seatbelt.

Ralph backed out of the driveway. "I understand that being in a relationship is fun, but you need to realize that you don't have to be with her twenty-four seven."

"I just want to spend time with her while I still can." Vanellope admitted.

Ralph looked at her. "What do you mean 'while you still can'?"

Vanellope tried not to let her emotions show. "I told you about the girl at school who's in love with Taffyta. I could lose her, and if I do…." Vanellope stopped talking to try and keep from choking up.

Ralph sighed as they drove home. "Be that as it may, leaving school without approval and sneaking out of your room won't solve anything. Besides, I don't think you'll lose Taffyta if you think you can trust her."

Vanellope glared at Ralph. "I can trust her. It's Candela who I can't trust."

"That's besides my point. My point is even though your relationship is going through a rough patch doesn't mean you should have a complete disregard for your own responsibilities." He turned onto their home street. "You're in high school. You're becoming a young lady. You need to start acting like it."

Vanellope sighed. Ralph was right about her needing to grow up. She still wished that if she were a young lady, Ralph would stop treating her like a little girl. She didn't say that, of course. She figured she was wrong.

"I figure I give you enough freedom with her." Ralph claimed. "I let you two share a bed almost nightly, for goodness sake! I mean, that's what most would call 'irresponsible parenting.'" He rubbed his nose and sighed. "I have no idea of what you two are doing with one another."

The urge to vomit suddenly professed itself to Vanellope. She wanted to defend herself and Taffyta, but didn't want to seem defensive.

They pulled into the driveway of their home. Ralph killed the engine, and they sat in the truck. Ralph looked over at Vanellope. "Answer me honestly. Don't get angry or anything."

Vanellope looked up at him, anxiously awaiting his question.

He glanced off for a moment, then spoke. "How intimate have you and Taffyta gotten?"

Vanellope's urge to vomit instantly morphed into a desire to vomit. She gritted her teeth, but reminded herself not to get angry, as to Ralph's request. She straightened her thoughts and tried to construct an answer.

"Tell the truth. The whole truth." Ralph said.

"We haven't, like, gone all the way." Vanellope shuddered at the mere insinuation. "We've….snuggled in bed."

Ralph glanced at her knowingly.

Vanellope sighed. She squeezed her knees. "We've seen each other in our undies, but….I mean, I've seen my friends in their undies when we had sleepovers, and Taffyta changes clothes in a locker room with other girls every school day, so it's not a big deal, really."

"Okay, I get it." Ralph held a hand up. "Vanellope, I realize that you and Taffyta are a good match for each other, and that means you two will have plenty of time in the future to spend together. There's no need to rush anything."

"We're not rushing. Things have just sort of….happened." Vanellope explained.

Ralph nodded. "I understand. But your relationship with her isn't the only important thing in your life. You have school."

"I know. I didn't leave school to slack off with Taffyta. I was an emotional wreck."

"I know. If you had called me, I might've checked you out of school." Ralph laid his hand on Vanellope's shoulder. "You're a good kid, okay? You just need to handle yourself and your problems better, okay?"

"Yeah." Vanellope couldn't help but agree.

"But your behavior today was very inappropriate. I'm sorry, but you're grounded for a week."

Vanellope sighed. "I can't see Taffyta outside of school, right?"

"Right." Ralph sighed. "Tonight, I want to have your phone. You might get it back tomorrow, okay."

Vanellope growled quietly, but offered her phone to Ralph.

Ralph nodded. "Am I being unreasonable?"

"I messed up." Vanellope admitted.

"Okay." Ralph opened his door and got out of the truck. Vanellope followed suit. He locked it, and they made their way into the house. The TV was turned to a home improvement show. It was around seven o'clock.

"Scavenge for supper tonight, I guess." Ralph told her as he sat down on the couch.

"Okay." Vanellope walked toward the kitchen to make a turkey and Swiss sandwich for herself.

"Hey." Ralph called before she left the room.

Vanellope whirled around to look at him.

"Do ya hate me?" He asked.

She huffed a laugh. "No." She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, good." He waved his hand. "Carry on."

Vanellope made her sandwich and came back to the living room. She sat on the couch next to Ralph and watched the guy talking about drywall on the TV. She quietly ate, focusing more on her thoughts rather than the TV show.

All next week, the only times she could be with Taffyta would be during Activity Period, lunch, and maybe after school a little. She really wasn't that angry with Ralph. She didn't blame him for grounding her, even though there were other things she would have rather given up besides spending time with Taffyta. She would rather hang out with her girlfriend instead of play on her Xbox 360. Heck, she'd give up TV for her. But Vanellope messed up, again, and she knew it.

It wasn't even ten o'clock when Vanellope decided to get ready for bed. She showered, brushed her teeth, and simply threw on boxer shorts and a t-shirt before jumping into her bed.

She lied there awake for an hour before accepting her inability to fall asleep. She turned her lamp on, propped her pillow up on the headboard, and grabbed her journal and pencil from her nightstand drawer. She flipped through the pages, looking over the miscellaneous drawings and written entries before reaching the Taffyta section.

Vanellope felt embarrassed with herself while looking over the many likenesses of her girlfriend, which she drew back when she wasn't her girlfriend. They all looked just like Taffyta, right down to the cute little mole just under her left eye. There was Taffyta playing tennis, Nerd-Taffyta wearing glasses and a school uniform, Swimsuit-Taffyta (boy, did Vanellope want to rip that page out so much. She was so embarrassed, and yet couldn't bring herself to get rid of perfectly good, perfectly hot art).

She eventually reached the end. She had started drawing her Taffytas at the very back, so the drawings went from back to front chronologically. She found the next blank page and started drawing. She had gotten plenty of practice drawing Taffyta, so it didn't take long for her to produce a new drawing of her. She didn't have that much practice in drawing herself, though. She had to use the glass picture frame of herself and Ralph on the day she was adopted as a mirror. She eventually produced a satisfactory likeness of herself.

After some shading and erasing and redrawing, her new drawing was complete. It showed herself and Taffyta, holding hands and smiling at each other. Beneath the drawing, Vanellope wrote this:

"I've had a lot of crazy dreams, but at least one of them came true."

She drew a little heart just above their interlocked hands as a final touch. It was her first new addition to her journal in a long time.

It was close to midnight, and Vanellope was nowhere near sleep. She flipped the page and began writing a sort of letter to Taffyta. There was no rhyme or reason to it; she just wrote down what came to her mind.

She'd gone through three pages before beginning to dose off. Before falling asleep, she managed to write down "I love you" before letting the pencil slip from her hand. Her head fell to the side, and her journal fell onto her chest. She fell asleep with her covers on the floor. Her knees fell to the sides after holding her journal up. The lamp was still on, her journal was wide open.

Her window was still unlocked….


End file.
